The president's latest vanity project is already on the ropes

After his party suffered a brutal loss in the 2026 midterms, Donald Trump has tried to find solace in his attempts to remake Washington, D.C. But thanks to one federal judge, Trump is beginning to learn that exerting his will over the forces of state bureaucracy may not be as easy as it once was.

Late on Thursday, Judge Tanya Chutkan of the District of Columbia brought one of Trump’s prize beautification projects to a screeching halt, ruling that construction on Trump’s triumphal arch must be stopped pending the outcome of a combined legal case that names both Trump himself and the federal National Parks Service as defendants.…