Donald Trump has erupted at the spiraling cost of restoring the United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel near Colorado Springs, calling the project a “CONSTRUCTION DISASTER” and demanding a probe.
The president unleashed a fiery tirade on Truth Social late Thursday, calling for an investigation into the ballooning restoration project.
“The United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel has been a CONSTRUCTION DISASTER from the time it was built in 1962,” Trump wrote. “The earlier stories are that it leaked on Day One, and that was the good part. Hundreds of Millions of Dollars have been spent… This mess should be investigated. Very unfair to the Cadets — A COMPLETE ARCHITECTURAL CATASTROPHE!”
The 79-year-old former real estate developer was referring to the rapidly rising cost of the chapel’s ongoing restoration, which began in 2019. It was initially budgeted at $158 million, but costs have risen exponentially—primarily due to the unexpected discovery of asbestos.
In August, the Pentagon approved an additional $88 million for restoration work, bringing the total cost to $335 million.
The Air Force Civil Engineer Center, which oversees the project, told KOAA News that the additional funding “ensures the long-term structural integrity and watertightness of the Cadet Chapel and will resolve issues that have plagued the building since its opening 60 years ago.”
The completion date has now been pushed back to 2028.
The Daily Beast has contacted the Air Force Civil Engineer Center for comment.
Trump’s outburst fits squarely with his growing obsession with architectural projects, a fixation that has come to define much of his second term in office.
In August, Trump signed an executive order titled “Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again,” which mandates the use of classical architecture for federal buildings. The order notes that President George Washington and Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson “consciously modeled the most important buildings in Washington, D.C., on the classical architecture of ancient Athens and Rome.”
“It is time to update the policies guiding Federal architecture to address these problems and ensure that architects designing Federal buildings serve their clients, the American people,” the order published by the White House said.
Since returning to the White House, Trump has embarked on an architectural mission of his own.
He has already gilded the Oval Office with Rococo mirrors, gold medallions, and eagle figurines, paved over the Rose Garden with a concrete patio, and erected oversized flagpoles on the grounds.
A new $200 million ballroom is also in the works.
On Wednesday, the president unveiled his plans to build an arch on the other side of the Potomac River that could rival the Lincoln Memorial in scale.
At a lavish White House dinner for his billionaire backers, Trump showcased multiple proposed versions of an enormous triumphal arch he hopes to erect across from the Lincoln Memorial, awkwardly holding up miniature models for his guests to inspect.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
