‘Deeply creepy’: Enormous brooding banner of Trump now hangs next to Lincoln outside Department of Agriculture
There’s a new addition to the streetscape outside the Department of Agriculture building in Washington, D.C., causing a stir online.
Looming down from the pillared front of the neo-classical facade is an enormous, brooding picture of President Donald Trump, adapted from his official presidential portrait.
Another banner further along the front of the building depicts President Abraham Lincoln. Both include the USDA logo and the text: “Growing America Since 1862.”
Thursday is the department’s birthday, and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins tweeted that after 163 years, “the best is yet to come,” thanks to President Trump’s “bold vision,” which is “ushering in a Golden Age for our farmers.”
The picture of Trump is reminiscent of portraits of leaders hanging from public buildings, often seen in dictatorships, monarchies, and in descriptions in George Orwell’s 1984 of “Big Brother.”
Twitter users described the Trump installation as “fashy looking,” having a “North Korean aesthetic,” and giving off “Saddam Hussein vibes.”
Others imagined that Fox News would have “short-circuited” had presidents Barack Obama or Joe Biden done something similar.
One Twitter user worried: “God help us! They’ll be carving Mt. Rushmore next! 😳” Another asked: “Is that the new scarecrow for farmers?”
Tim Miller, host of The Bulwark Podcast and an MSNBC analyst, tweeted: “It’s interesting that these freedom-loving MAGA alpha males want to institute this deeply creepy 3rd world culture where we have a national daddy that must be obeyed.”
The Independent has reached out to the Department of Agriculture for comment.
Secretary Rollins is currently on her way back from a visit to the U.K. following the trade deal reached in response to Trump’s tariffs on imports from U.S. trading partners.
Rollins was sworn in on February 13 by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas after a 72-to-28 Senate confirmation vote.
On her first full day in office, Rollins rescinded all Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEI) programs and celebrations, announced a reform of the food stamp program to include work requirements, and implemented findings from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to optimize the USDA workforce and stop wasteful spending.
At least 15,000 Agriculture Department employees have taken the Trump administration’s offer to resign, Politico reported earlier this month. That accounts for roughly 15 percent of the overall workforce. The department wants to double that figure.
