Story perspectives

NCPC to review Trump’s plan for permanent Lafayette fence

9/4/2026

Summary

Story summary

U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing a permanent fence around Lafayette Square.
The National Capital Planning Commission will hear the fence proposal on Thursday.
The commission will review an underground White House visitor screening facility.
The administration aims to open the facility by July 2028.
The fence would encircle the 8-acre park with larger north and south gates, the first permanent fencing since the 1800s.

History

Historical Context

In 1995, after the 1994 White House shooting, the Secret Service erected a 1.5-mile fence around the Executive Residence, costing $2.5 million. President Bill Clinton, Attorney General Janet Reno, and the FBI oversaw the installation of 2,000 reinforced steel posts and controlled-access gates. Today's plan by President Donald Trump to install a fence around Lafayette Square mirrors the 1995 expansion, enclosing 8-acre park with north and south gates. If approved, the barrier could set a precedent for permanent security perimeters around historic public spaces, reshaping Washington’s urban landscape for decades.

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Story summary

U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing a permanent fence around Lafayette Square.
The National Capital Planning Commission will hear the fence proposal on Thursday.
The commission will review an underground White House visitor screening facility.
The administration aims to open the facility by July 2028.
The fence would encircle the 8-acre park with larger north and south gates, the first permanent fencing since the 1800s.

1 / 2