WASHINGTON, March 15 — Former US President Donald Trump said he ordered a cleanup of Washington, DC, to ensure visiting world leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saw a “beautiful” capital during their trips.
Speaking at the Department of Justice on Friday, Trump recalled instructing officials to clear tents, graffiti, and potholes near federal buildings before hosting foreign dignitaries. “We are cleaning up this great capital, and we are not going to have crime,” he said. “We took the graffiti down, removed the tents, and made the city safer.”
Trump praised Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser for acting swiftly. “There were tents galore right opposite the State Department. They had to come down, and they took them down right away,” he said.
He added that the effort was meant to project a strong image of the US. “When Prime Minister Modi of India, the President of France, and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom came to see me, I didn’t want them to see tents, graffiti, broken barriers, and potholes,” he said. “And we had it looking beautiful.”
On February 13, Modi met Trump at the White House for a bilateral meeting, becoming the fourth foreign leader hosted by the then-US president in his second term. Trump had also welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, and Jordan’s King Abdullah II.
French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer were among other leaders who visited Washington in early 2025.
