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  "path": "/post/210578/donald-trump-pave-over-protest-spot",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-18T17:41:33.000Z",
  "site": "https://newrepublic.com",
  "tags": [
    "Breaking News",
    "Politics",
    "Republican Party",
    "Donald Trump",
    "White House",
    "Lafayette Park",
    "parking",
    "Protests",
    "250th Anniversary",
    "UFC",
    "painted",
    "for two decades",
    "pricey UFC fight",
    "once urged",
    "closed for months",
    "angry feedback",
    "$200 million",
    "$400 million",
    "claimed",
    "demolished the entire East Wing"
  ],
  "textContent": "The White House is replacing a space known for protests with a parking lot for a month of major national events—including Donald Trump’s birthday.\n\nOver the weekend, a pedestrianized stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and Lafayette Square Park was painted with yellow lines denoting parking spaces. The area has served as a viewing spot for tourists and a gathering place for protesters for two decades.\n\nThe White House said the parking lot will last through June 28 in order to accommodate several events on the grounds for the country’s 250th anniversary.\n\nNext month, Trump’s birthday plans include “UFC Freedom 250,” which apparently means a pricey UFC fight on the White House’s South Lawn and a “fan fest” at the Ellipse. It’s the same spot where Trump once urged his followers to “fight like hell” before they stormed the U.S. Capitol. In late June, the Great American State Fair will be held at the nearby National Mall.\n\nLafayette Square Park, another protest spot, has been closed for months for a “major rehabilitation” and is expected to reopen on May 31, according to the National Parks Service.\n\nIt seems clear that the president, who regularly lashes out against critics, isn’t interested in getting any more angry feedback from Americans.\n\nThere’s reason to suspect that this change may not be temporary, as the Trump administration hasn’t exactly been forthcoming about the president’s other renovation plans.\n\nThe price tag for Trump’s White House ballroom skyrocketed from $200 million in private donations to $400 million, before Republicans decided to throw $1 billion sourced from American taxpayers at the project. Trump claimed last July that the project would not “interfere with the current building,” but then demolished the entire East Wing.",
  "title": "Trump Makes It Even Easier for Him to Ignore Protesters"
}