Historically, fascist dictators have had large images of themselves plastered on government buildings to create a cult of personality among the worshipful populace, to symbolize the omnipotent power of the dictator, and to use as self-serving propaganda to promote the dictator’s indisputable greatness. Add Donald Trump to that list.Trump now has three large banners with his image hanging from federal buildings, with plans to hang a fourth. On the façade of the Department of Justice building hangs a large banner with Trump’s image and the caption “Make America Safe Again.” On the Department of Labor building hangs a Trump banner and the caption “American Workers First.” On the Department of Agriculture building hangs a Trump banner and the caption “Growing America Since 1862.” Contract documents indicate plans for a fourth Trump banner hanging from Department of Health and Human Services building with the caption, “Make America Healthy Again.”The in-your-face propaganda purpose of the banners can’t be missed. “Make America Safe Again” and “Make America Healthy Again” are versions of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” theme. “American Workers First” is an obvious plug for Trump’s tariffs that supposedly protect American jobs, and “Growing America Since 1862” implies Trump’s great support for the American farmer. The intent of the banners is for Americans to credit Trump-the-Peerless for all of the great things the country is experiencing. It serves the dictator’s purpose to take credit for all of the country’s successes, accomplished solely through his faultless leadership while earning the people’s undying gratitude. The irony, of course, is that the captions represent the opposite of what is actually going on in the country, the banners a bigger-than-life reminder that Trump’s alternate reality is one big lie.Regarding “American Workers’ First,” in 2025, the US economy added just 181,000 jobs, making it the weakest job growth since 2003. In addition, more jobs returned to the US in 2024 under President Biden than in 2025 under Trump, and unemployment rose higher in 2025 than in 2024. Trump also ended collective bargaining rights for over 1 million federal workers, terminating existing union contracts and derecognizing unions. So much for “American Workers’ First.” Regarding “Make America Safe Again,” data shows that there has been a steady decline in violent crime in the US during the last five years since a spike during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, that decline has been the greatest in Democratic-controlled states, which have eight out of the ten lowest rates of violent crime in the country due in part to strong gun-control regulations. Seven out of the ten states with the highest rates of violent crime are Republican-controlled, Trump-supporting states. In addition, on Trump’s orders, the DOJ is wasting its time and taxpayers’ money on frivolous investigations and long-shot indictments of Trump’s enemies rather than fulfilling its primary mission: fighting violent crime.Regarding “Make America Healthy Again,” the Department of Health and Human Services has reduced the number of recommended childhood vaccines from 17 to 11, a move heavily criticized by pediatricians. The US also has seen an alarming increase in the number of measles cases nationwide caused by declining vaccination rates. HHS head Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has eliminated thousands of HHS jobs and frozen billions of dollars in scientific research, and only 37 percent of Americans trust him as a source of health information. Finally, Trump’s massive deregulation of polluting industries poses a serious risk to human health. Regarding “Growing America Since 1862,” the US is currently importing record levels of agricultural products, transforming the US into a net agricultural importer for the first time in 50 years. As a result, net US farm income has dropped significantly and farm bankruptcies rose 46 percent in 2025 compared to 2024.In addition, Trump’s tariffs have cost farmers billions of dollars due to shrinking export markets as countries have successfully sought less-expensive trading partners. Tariffs have also led to rising costs for farmers who import products such as fertilizer and machinery that tariffs have made much more expensive. Thanks to Trump, the federal agencies where the self-aggrandizing banners hang have been turned against the American people. The DOL cut funds for programs that support workers, worker organizing, worker safety, and job training, the HHS is risking the health of every American child through its anti-vaccine messaging, the supposedly independent DOJ is busily carrying out Trump’s vendettas against multiple Americans, and the DOA has supported Trump’s tariffs that are hurting American farmers. A strong case can be made that hanging presidential images on federal buildings is illegal or unconstitutional. However, given Congress’s role in pursuing legal challenges, nothing will be accomplished given the Republican majorities. The banners are probably here to stay unless defaced by a paintball-loaded drone, a crime for which Trump would certainly demand the death penalty.Perhaps the banners’ haunting presence is a good thing, however. They are a grim daily reminder to all Americans that Trump has more in common with other banner-hanging dictators like Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-un, and Xi Jinping than with past American presidents. Trump is the first and only American president in 250 years to adorn federal buildings with his image. If Americans cherish and protect our democracy, he will be the last. Tom Tyner is a freelance editorialist, satirist, political analyst, blogger, author and retired English instructor.
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