Isn’t it ironic?
Almost 30 years ago, Alanis Morissette asked, “Isn’t it ironic?” A follow-up can now be written focusing on what is happening with Donald Trump’s latest ill-conceived boondoggle, the National Garden of American Heroes. It turns out the flag-hugging Trump’s faux-patriotic proposal may become reality only if it gets outsourced to China.
According to reports, the sculptors and foundries across the United States are not in a position to produce hundreds of traditional, super-realistic statues on time. Since this project is meant to commemorate America’s 250th birthday, it would need to be wrapped up before July 4, 2026, which is little more than a year away.
China—the country Trump rails against and singles out in his tariff war—might need to come to Trump’s rescue to create this high-profile tribute meant to symbolize American greatness. Just last month, the White House issued a fact sheet, declaring “‘Made in America’ is not just a tagline—it’s an economic and national security priority of this Administration.” Worse, the statue quality would fall short of expectations because “the likeness can feel more like a cheap mannequin than a national monument,” according to a report from Politico.
The irony doesn’t even end there. Rather than allocate additional funding, the government is “using tens of millions in funding stripped from actual historical conservation and scholarship programs,” according to a Daily Beast report. It’s no wonder the project, accused of being “built to whitewash history,” is already facing a lawsuit. Isn’t it ironic? Don’t you think?
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month