The term "vanity project" is having a moment.
It tends to surface whenever US President Donald Trump floats another plan to give Washington, D.C. an architectural — and costly — facelift.
Whether it's a $100-million triumphal arch, a billion‑dollar White House ballroom or a $13-million redesign of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, each proposal revives the questions: What counts as a political vanity project, and why do leaders pursue them?
Trump's latest D.C. project: Repainting the floor of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool 'American flag blue' Image: Olivier Douliery/abaca/picture alliance
Distinctive features of vanity projects
