While ringing in the opening of Wall Street from the White House on Monday, the president couldn’t stop himself from openly coveting the giant, gilded bell at the Rose Garden for the ceremony.
“There’s the bell right there. It’s so beautiful, I’m not giving it back,” he cooed. “I don’t know if it’s supposed to go back, but they’re gonna have to fight like hell to get it back. We’re not giving it back.”
“You understand that, Scott?” he said, appearing to address Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “Don’t let it leave, it’s so beautiful.”
Quipping about Trump’s famous love for all things gold, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) joked, “I think everyone knew you were going to keep the bell.”
A veritable gold bug, Trump seemed eager to add another trinket to his White House collection. Since returning to the West Wing, he has crowded the Oval Office with all manner of trophies and other metallic decor.
That fixation has also extended to the entirety of Washington, D.C., where he has been refurbishing monuments all over the capital.