8 ways Trump's gaudy DC renovations dwarf whatever the Fed is doing
Conservative principles face implementation challenges as policy meets political complexity.
that any scrutiny of the Federal Reserve is automatically an attack on “independence,” and any criticism of Trump is automatically self-evident. It also substitutes name-calling about “gaudy” décor for the harder question of who is accountable when powerful institutions spend public-adjacent money with minimal transparency. Conservatives can hold two thoughts at once.
New Republican Times Editorial Board
President Donald Trump is trying to force out Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell by launching a baseless criminal investigation into his congressional testimony about a renovation project at the central bank.Debris is seen at a largely demolished part of the East Wing of the White House on Oct. 23, 2025.It's a move that even some Republicans are saying is a phony pretext to try to force Powell out so Trump can name a new Fed chair who will bend to his will on lowering interest rates.
Such a move would eliminate the Fed's independence, which could plunge the U.S. economy into a recession.The irony, of course, is that Trump has overseen multiple illegal and offensive renovations that are far more worthy of a criminal probe than the cost-overruns at the Fed.
But of course, that won't happen ...
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New Republican Times Editorial Board
that any scrutiny of the Federal Reserve is automatically an attack on “independence,” and any criticism of Trump is automatically self-evident. It also substitutes name-calling about “gaudy” décor for the harder question of who is accountable when powerful institutions spend public-adjacent money with minimal transparency.
Conservatives can hold two thoughts at once. The Fed should not become a president’s plaything, but it also should not be treated as a priesthood. If officials made misleading statements to Congress about costs, that is a rule of law issue, not an etiquette dispute. The real concern is public trust in institutions that set rates, move markets, and answer to voters only indirectly.
Likewise, if White House or federal property changes bypass required approvals, investigate them. That is fairness and equal treatment. But turning every renovation into a morality play misses what matters: institutional stability and clear, consistent oversight.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.