Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) said Sunday that if he were elected president, he would push to undo President Donald Trump’s imprint on Washington, D.C., including tearing down a planned White House ballroom and a triumphal arch, according to Breitbart’s account of his appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Anchor Jake Tapper opened the exchange by listing the president’s recent moves in the capital — a new White House ballroom, plans for an arch, and efforts to rename landmarks such as the Kennedy Center and the reflecting pool — and asked Gallego flatly whether he would advocate dismantling them.
“I think I’d be advocating for almost all of that,” Gallego replied, according to the clip circulated by Breitbart.
The Arizona Democrat, who has not announced a 2028 campaign, framed his position less as a matter of taste than of consequence. He pointed to the events of January 6, calling it the first time a U.S. president attempted a coup, and argued that Trump’s conduct should disqualify him from having monuments or honorifics bearing his name.
“That right there is a reason why we should not have anything named toward him,” Gallego said.
A case built on institutions
Gallego expanded his argument beyond the buildings themselves, citing what he described as the erosion of the Justice Department and other institutions that he said have held the government together through difficult periods. Those concerns, in his telling, are the reason to strip away what he called “honorific situations or emblems” of the president.
He also singled out the proposed renaming of the Kennedy Center, contrasting the legacy of John F. Kennedy with Trump’s record. “The fact that he wants to destroy the Kennedy Center, a man that contributed so much to this country, to replace it with his name, who has done everything to destroy this country, is another reason why we have to make sure that we wipe him out,” Gallego said.
He anticipated the likely rebuttal that his stance amounts to personal animus — and rejected it. “So this is not me trying to get to Donald Trump because I don’t like Donald Trump, it’s because of what Donald Trump has done to this country,” he said.
Arlington and the arch
Gallego invoked his visits to Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery, the burial ground for service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, to explain his objection to the arch. He called the planned structure an “ugly monstrosity” that would intrude on the view of what he described as a sacred site.
“The arch is another reason why that needs to be taken care of,” he said, arguing that Trump has undermined the rights and system that service members fought to defend.
The exchange reflects a broader question Democrats may face in the next presidential cycle: whether, and how aggressively, to promise reversal of Trump’s physical and symbolic changes to the capital. Tapper noted that the issue appears likely to be a factor for candidates seeking the party’s nomination in 2028. Gallego has not said whether he intends to run.
For now, his answer offers one of the more explicit commitments from a prominent Democrat on the subject — not just halting the projects, but undoing them. Whether that posture resonates with primary voters, or hands Republicans a ready-made attack line about Democrats promising to demolish the president’s buildings, is a question the party will have ample time to litigate before the next election.
Breitbart published the clip from the Sunday program. Gallego’s office did not offer additional comment in the segment beyond his on-air remarks.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2026/09/13/sen-gallego-as-president-i-would-tear-down-trumps-ballroom-and-arch/