Donald Trump is spending 'millions' covering horse statues in gold for US’s birthday

The Trump administration is splashing millions of dollars on covering the bronze horse statues near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C, in a layer of gold leaf ahead of America’s 250th birthday celebration in July.

According to publicly available federal documents reviewed by NOTUS, the National Park Service handed out a whopping $5 million contract to a gilding studio in Maryland to repair the statues and cover them with a thick layer of 23.75-karat gold leaf by 4 July.

According to National Park Service documents, the project was awarded without a full competition.

For context, this is when public sector buyers contract or place an order directly with a supplier, without entering a competitive selection process.

The statues at the centre of the purchase, which weigh 80,000 pounds, are known as the Arts of War and Arts of Peace and are bronze, fire-gilded statue groups, and they were erected in 1951.

However, their gold colouring has weathered and worn off over the decades, prompting Trump's huge restoration project.

The sculptures used to be bright gold but have been worn down over the years (Hoberman Collection/Getty Images)

While the $5 million contract is for the entire restoration of the statues, it’s thought that the gold leafing will make up the most significant portion of the cost.

According to NOTUS, due to the urgent nature of the request, the agency ‘didn’t do extensive market research on whether the $5 million price was a fair one’.

The agency wrote in its award notice in April: “Due to the urgent nature of this requirement, market research was limited to available historical data and publicizing a special notice to SAM.gov.”

It added: “Historical data available is minimal as these types of projects are rare for NPS; there are no comparable gilding projects of this monumental size, national significance, public visibility, or technical complexity in the Washington, DC area.”

The National Park Service has reportedly handed out a $5 million contract (Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

After reviewing government spending data, NOTUS also claims that the Interior Department is spending at least $95 million in taxpayer funds for ‘new DC beautiful projects', all of which were initiated between December 2025 and April of this year.

An Interior Department spokesperson told NOTUS: "President Donald J. Trump is fulfilling his commitment to make D.C. Safe and Beautiful as shown by record low crime rates and renovations to fountains and parks across the capital. This administration is ensuring that Promises Made are Promises Kept. Across the District, residents and visitors are excited to see the city revitalized to the grand destination it was meant to be."

A spokesperson from the Department of the Interior told Tyla: "President Donald J. Trump is fulfilling his commitment to make D.C. Safe and Beautiful, as shown by record low crime rates and renovations to fountains and parks across the capital. This administration is ensuring that Promises Made are Promises Kept. Across the District, residents and visitors are excited to see the city revitalized to the grand destination it was meant to be.

"The Arts of War statues are currently being regilded ahead of our nation's 250. This is the first time in 50 years these statues have been regilded."

Tyla has contacted the White House for comment.