With less than a month left in his term, lame duck president Donald Trump has once again addressed a matter of significant importance during the coronavirus pandemic and economic downturn:  the architecture of federal buildings.

According to Bloomberg News, Trump signed an executive order requiring that all federal buildings around the nation be “beautiful.”

That’s right:  Trump demands all federal buildings be “beautiful.”  That’s what it said in the Executive Order.  “Beautiful.” 

So for the record, the guy who built the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City–not one of the best examples of a pleasing architectural aesthetic in any sense–demands that all federal buildings meet an unspecified definition of beauty.

The order comes in response to critics, mostly conservative, have complained about the architecture of some federal buildings both in the Washington, DC area and around the country.  One such building to receive the ire of conservatives is the Smithsonian Museum of African American History.  Another is the federal building in San Francisco.  Neither were constructed in a classical style.

Typically, federal buildings are constructed to meet an aesthetic fitting not just functionality but also local architecture, not a demand by Washington, DC.

“Architecture should be designed for the specific communities that it serves, reflecting our rich nation’s diverse places, thought, culture and climates,” the American Institute of Architects said in a statement. “Architects are committed to honoring our past as well as reflecting our future progress, protecting the freedom of thought and expression that are essential to democracy.”

Trump did not specify if he would demand that federal buildings undergo operations to make them more pleasing to his ideal of beauty, or if they should get adjustments or enhancements to fit his ideal measurements and look.