Washington, D.C. — A new analysis from the Center for American Progress finds that the Trump administration has spent or plans to spend at least $1.6 billion in exclusively taxpayer dollars on vanity projects, including some that promote the president’s image and personal brand. CAP details alternatives that $1.6 billion could be used for to help families afford basic necessities nationally and in all 50 states.
Taxpayer dollars have been directed toward projects including the refurbishment of a Qatari luxury jet, a new White House ballroom, a monument to the president, self-promotional television advertisements, and massive banners featuring the president’s face on federal buildings. Recent polling found 65 percent of Americans are either “dissatisfied” or “upset” about the Trump administration’s vanity projects. Meanwhile, Americans continue to struggle to afford health care, housing, and basic necessities.
“The Trump administration is spending over a billion of taxpayer dollars to promote Trump and fund his pet projects,” said Hannah McKiernan, CAP research analyst and co-author of the report. “Meanwhile, Americans continue to struggle with rising child care, housing, and food costs. $1.6 billion could go a long way to alleviate those pressures.”
The administration’s $1.6 billion in spending for vanity projects could have instead:
- Provided school breakfasts and lunches for students in every state. CAP calculates $1.6 billion could provide every student in Alaska free breakfast and lunch for nearly six years. It could provide free meals for Maine students for more than seven years and free meals for students in Nevada for more than two years.
- Offset state costs from SNAP cuts. CAP finds the Trump administration’s vanity project spending could offset SNAP cuts from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that shifted to states. Specifically, $1.6 billion could offset the SNAP shortfall in Georgia for nearly three years, Michigan for four years, or Nebraska for 127 years.
- Provided health insurance coverage for uninsured Americans. CAP finds that the Trump administration’s vanity project spending could provide Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace coverage for uninsured residents in Minnesota for nearly a year, Idaho for 1.5 years, or Montana for two years.
- Restored ACA premium assistance across the country. CAP analysis finds the $1.6 billion in vanity project spending could provide enhanced premium tax credit support to residents in Massachusetts for nearly 11 years, Illinois for more than three years, or Louisiana for more than two years.
- Funded more than six years of school meal debt nationwide. Public school meal debt totals approximately $271.6 million each year, meaning the administration’s vanity project spending could have covered that debt for more than six years.
- Provided more than seven times the disaster relief denied to four states. In July 2026, the Trump administration denied $227 million in federal disaster assistance to four Democratic-led states. The money devoted to vanity projects could have covered those requests more than seven times.
Read the full report: “The Trump Administration Has Devoted at Least $1.6 Billion in Taxpayer Dollars to Vanity Projects” by Hannah McKiernan and Will Ragland.
For more information or to speak with a CAP expert, please contact Christian Unkenholz at [email protected].