Trump photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images; George Washington painting via Wikimedia Commons
Like all great heels, Donald Trump loves a good feud. He's got beef with celebrities from Oprah to Rosie O'Donnell to Alec Baldwin, along with countless political figures both at home and abroad. He's picked fights with former first ladies and windmills and even the goddamn pope because, well, why not? The list goes on and on. Now, it looks like Trump has decided to start a flame war with… hold on, let's see here… uh, George Washington?According to a new report from Politico, Trump supposedly shit-talked Washington during a "bizarre" trip to Mount Vernon with Emmanuel Macron last April. Apparently, he didn't think our first president did a very good job naming his estate."If he was smart, he would’ve put his name on it," Trump reportedly said. "You’ve got to put your name on stuff or no one remembers you."Trump, of course, is no stranger to slapping his name on stuff like he's playing real-life Graffiti Mode in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. But Washington's got a pretty strong list of namesakes too, Mount Vernon notwithstanding. Apparently, Trump needed a little reminder about the existence of Washington, DC. You know, the capital of the United States. Where he lives. Per Politico:
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The president trashing our country's preeminent Founding Father isn't the only wild thing Politico uncovered, either. Trump's Mount Vernon guide apparently had to struggle to hold his attention during the 45-minute tour, since Trump doesn't seem to give much of a shit about presidential history—though he was curious about exactly how wealthy Washington was.The VIPs’ tour guide for the evening, Mount Vernon president and CEO Doug Bradburn, told the president that Washington did, after all, succeed in getting the nation’s capital named after him. Good point, Trump said with a laugh.
Trump asked whether Washington was "really rich," according to a second person familiar with the visit. In fact, Washington was either the wealthiest or among the wealthiest Americans of his time, thanks largely to his mini real estate empire.
And there you have it. Trump is apparently less than impressed with Washington's legacy, but he can at least give the guy props for making a fuckton of money. Get ready to read all about how "Toothless George" could've tried a little harder at naming the greatest democratic society since ancient Greece in Trump's inevitable tell-all memoir, everybody!Sign up for our newsletter to get the best of VICE delivered to your inbox daily.“That is what Trump was really the most excited about,” this person said.