In a race against time to cement his legacy, President Trump has lined up a series of mega-projects with a single deadline — 2028 — and little room for error.
Why it matters: Trump is going farther than any recent predecessor to leave a grandiose — frequently gilded — mark on the presidency, the nation's capital and the country itself.
The big picture: With three years left in his term, Trump is unleashing the full force of the federal government to push ambitious assignments meant to leave a lasting imprint — if they can be delivered on time.
1. A new moonshot: Trump set a 2028 target for a crewed return to the moon last month, reviving a long-delayed goal that has slipped across multiple administrations because of technical challenges, cost and shifting priorities.
- The existing Artemis program has roots in a President George W. Bush plan to send Americans back to the moon "no later than 2020."
- New NASA administrator Jared Isaacman told CNBC that he's committed to returning the U.S. to the moon before the end of Trump's second term. Trump's plan also calls for establishing a permanent moon base by 2030.
2. White House ballroom: Trump's new 1,000-person ballroom on the site of the former East Wing is expected to be completed in the summer of 2028, according to a National Park Service assessment revealed in a court filing.
- Trump says the new ballroom is projected to cost $400 million, funded via private donations, and will span 90,000 square feet.
- Trump replaced the project's original architect, and preservationists are suing to block construction. Costs have already doubled since the White House first announced a $200 million price tag.
3. New Air Force One: The first of two new Air Force One jets from Boeing is now expected to be delivered in mid-2028 — a timeline that is six years behind the project's original schedule.
- Trump's frustrations with Boeing's delays and his desire to fly in a new jet are clear. A model of the new Air Force One — with his preferred paint scheme — is a staple of the Oval Office.
- Those two jets are separate from the Boeing 747-8 that Trump accepted from Qatar, which is currently being retrofitted for presidential use.
4. Golden Dome demo: Trump has directed his administration to have a prototype for his ambitious new missile shield project ready by 2028.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last month that "Golden Dome will produce tangible protection for this country" before Trump leaves the White House.
- Golden Dome echoes the Reagan-era Strategic Defense Initiative, which was labeled "Star Wars" by critics and ultimately failed.
Reality check: Big government projects rarely run on schedule, no matter how much presidential pressure is applied.
- Defense projects, like those that make up much of this list, have an especially long history of delays and cost overruns.
- Major Pentagon acquisitions now take almost 12 years from the start of a program to delivery of a usable product, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report.
The other side: Even delivering on one of these accomplishments would leave Trump with a tangible, enduring legacy.
- White House assistant press secretary Liz Huston told Axios that Trump is "fully committed to delivering on every promise he made to the American people," and pointed to a sharp drop in border crossings, tax cuts and "trillions of dollars in investments to America."
The bottom line: Many of Trump's priorities — think tariffs and immigration police — are being driven by executive action, leaving their long-term fate dependent on the next Oval Office occupant.
- But many of these projects are tied to the delivery of physical assets, making them harder for a successor to unwind.
