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Trump Makes an Announcement with the Secretary of Transportation: The Dulles Airport Renovation, Jul. 29, 2026

July 29, 2026 · The White House · 0:37:09

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

President Donald Trump, joined by Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, unveiled plans on July 29, 2026 for “a major and long overdue renovation and reconstruction” of Washington Dulles International Airport, which the President called “one of the worst airports anywhere in the world” and pledged to make “maybe the best.” United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby and Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority CEO Jack Potter joined the announcement.

The plan, as the President described it after a review of more than 30 proposals: add more than 5 million square feet of new or renovated space and replace the current C and D concourses — “basic disasters,” in his words — while preserving the iconic original terminal building, whose architect he praised and whose preservation he called essential. He cited the airport’s standing in the J.D. Power rankings — 23rd of 27 large airports, on his telling — as the case for the rebuild.

Why it matters

Dulles is the primary international gateway to the nation’s capital, and this announcement makes its rebuild a named, dated administration infrastructure project — owned by the Transportation Department, designed with the airport authority and its largest carrier, and measurable against the square-footage and concourse figures stated here.

Scoreboard watch

This is a candidate item for the weekly scoreboard: an announced airport reconstruction with stated scope (5 million-plus square feet; Concourses C and D replaced; the original terminal preserved). What the scoreboard will follow is the project’s formal approval, funding, and construction milestones.

Sources: The White House, “President Trump Makes an Announcement with the Secretary of Transportation,” July 29, 2026 (official upload, embedded above). All figures and characterizations as stated by the President at the announcement.