David A. Fahrenthold

You're right.

There is logic, and that was one of the things they cited, was that Clark was already staging its equipment nearby, and so it would be easier for them.

There's also a concern about security clearance.

Clark has security clearance to work inside the White House grounds, and sometimes Lafayette Park is closed off for diplomatic events and effectively becomes part of the White House security perimeter.

And it's important to know that like the White House does have sort of special rules for building within the White House grounds.

But we are here in the real world, right outside the White House fence where all the normal laws are supposed to apply.

So what we're seeing is that the approach President Trump has taken to the ballroom, which is like, let's keep everything secret.

You know, let's pick people that the president handpicks is now sort of like bleeding outside the White House grounds into the real world.

And this is the first example of it.

It does seem to be going fast.

The work has expanded into a few other things in the park, including some benches and landscaping.

But the heart of it is still the fountains.

And the fountains, we are told, they've tested them, they flow, they're on track to be ready, the government says, for July 4th.

And as we look at them right now, there's still some sort of blue painter's tape around the outside.

It seems like the work is still going on.

It certainly will be beautiful.

And it's important to know that there are broken fountains or there were broken fountains and park service properties all over D.C.

And President Trump has made those things a priority in a way that no previous presidents had.

He's used park service funding that was meant to serve the whole country to renovate those fountains.

So there are fountains all over Washington, including some that probably the president will never see in neighborhoods that are used by Washingtonians that are flowing now for the first time in a long time because of what President Trump did.