This is not a surprise. Conservatives are unmoved by abstract art. Art should be about their heroes, or themselves.
The Atlantic, Kelsey Ables, yesterday: Why Does Donald Trump Hate This Sculpture?, subtitled “The president wants the Smithsonian to add a colossal George Washington statue—and remove another work of abstract art in D.C.”
The sculpture that Donald Trump wants removed from the National Mall has a reputation even among its admirers for being a bit inscrutable. Dedicated in 1967 at what is now the National Museum of American History, José de Rivera’s Infinity looks, fittingly, like an infinity symbol with an extra twist. (A bow? A pretzel?) By pairing the technical prowess required to create smooth, curved metal with the delicate spinning of a music box, the slow-turning work seems to take a different form each time you pass it. The museum’s architect, Walker O. Cain, wrote that Infinity “has the characteristic of stimulating everyone who has seen it to create his own personal imaginative interpretation.”
But the president does not appear to have been stimulated. “That strange modernist sculpture tells visitors nothing about America, inspires no one, and honors none of our Great American Heroes,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday night. Trump insisted that the Smithsonian replace Infinity with a 30-foot high “Colossus” of George Washington. In the same post, he called for the mounting of a five-year exhibition about the Founding Father to open immediately (museum shows of such magnitude typically take years to plan), and said the museum should create a “Center for American Heroes.” Trump also wrote that the institution should add another, 11-foot-tall Washington statue to the museum’s Flag Hall. That one was displayed at the Grand Prix race held in Washington, D.C., this summer as part of Trump’s Freedom 250 festivities. He’d like it dedicated at the museum this Thursday.
Heroes.
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Themselves.
NY Times, today: Kennedy Center Closes Its Doors Despite a Judge’s Order, subtitled “The announcement came after President Trump said he would cancel a $257 million renovation of the venue if his name is not returned to the building.”
Simmering turmoil over the future of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts boiled over on Tuesday as the center abruptly closed to the public and President Trump threatened to cancel a planned $257 million renovation if his name was not returned to the front of the building.
So he’s managing to destroy the Kennedy Center, too. So petty.
Another take:
Vox, today: Trump’s Kennedy Center sabotage is complete, subtitled “Trump can’t put his name on the building — so he’s closing it instead.”
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And money is always a priority for conservatives. Three examples:
- NY Times, 13 Sep 2026: E.P.A. Erases Limits on Climate Pollution From Power Plants, subtitled “Generation of electricity is the second largest source of carbon dioxide and other planet-warming gases in the United States.”
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- Robert Reich, today: Why Trump Loves AI, subtitled “Follow the money”
- Considering and rejecting several reasons. “So what explains Trump’s absolute refusal to regulate AI? Could it possibly be that he and his family have personal financial stakes in it? “
- They do.
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- Widely reported.
- Heather Cox Richardson, yesterday: September 14, 2026
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This morning, Justin Elliott, Brett Murphy, Joshua Kaplan, and Alex Mierjeski of ProPublica broke the news that Umar Kremlev, a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin, spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the wedding of Donald Trump Jr. and Bettina Anderson in May. Kremlev attended the wedding along with a large group of Russians whose presence, the journalists note, puzzled the other guests.
This news reveals an extraordinary development, the journalists note: “a member of Putin’s circle financially supporting the president’s son and gaining intimate access to the Trump family.”
Frank Montoya Jr., a retired FBI official who worked in senior counterintelligence roles, told the reporters: “If I’m paying for your wedding, at some point, you’re going to owe me something. This should be unthinkable for the son of the president. End of story.”
This is how basic tribal morality works. What’s in it for me? (Second on a scale of six, here.) Think The Godfather, opening scene.
