Gilding the Capital

May 3, 2026

"86 47" graffiti in the Reflecting Pool sends Trump into a late night posting frenzy, many of them AI generated images. Trump pushes expensive "beautification" projects in D.C. to control his legacy. These projects include painting the reflecting pool blue and building The National Garden of American Heroes. Trump announces the launch of "Project Freedom, an effort to escort stranded merchant ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump gets offended by critical comments from European leaders on the Iranian war and threatens to pull U.S. troops from Spain and Italy. Election Fearmongering.

Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

You can also find me: 

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson

Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe