Trump Unveils $22.5B Plan to Modernize Dulles Airport — But Polls Show DC Construction Is Unpopular

President Donald Trump on Wednesday unveiled a detailed proposal to overhaul Dulles International Airport, presenting plans in the Oval Office for what his administration says will be a $22.5 billion, phased renovation of the Northern Virginia hub.

A rendering of the north facade of the renovated airport. - United Airlines

Scope And Timeline

The administration and airline officials described an eight-to-ten-year program designed to modernize concourses, expand parking and check-in facilities, add new concessions and lounges, and build a tunnel that would permanently eliminate Dulles’ distinctive "people movers" — the mobile lounges that shuttle passengers between gates and aircraft.

A mobile lounge vehicle, colloquially called a "people mover," is seen moving between terminals at Washington Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, on July 29. - Kent Nishimura/AFP/Getty Images

Funding And Oversight

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the project would be financed through bonds issued by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), with participating airlines such as United Airlines contributing to the cost. "It's going to be bonded for $22.5 billion. United is going to partake in part of the payment," Duffy said at the Oval Office presentation. Officials noted the project may still require some congressional approvals.

Rendering of the renovated Dulles Airport. - United Airlines

Design And Preservation

White House and airline officials said the airport’s iconic midcentury main terminal, designed by Eero Saarinen, is expected to be preserved while adjacent concourses — including United’s C and D, which were built as temporary facilities in 1985 — are modernized. United provided renderings of the proposed renovations shown to the president during the briefing.

A model of President Donald Trump's proposed arch to commemorate the country's 250th anniversary is seen on a table at a public meeting of the Commission of Fine Arts on April 16, 2026 in Washington, DC. - Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Political Context

For Trump, a former real-estate developer who has emphasized construction projects throughout his second term, the Dulles plan is the latest in a string of high-profile local initiatives. These have included renovations at the White House, proposed changes to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, ideas for a triumphal arch and a revived National Garden of American Heroes, and other works across the capital region.

"This is very exciting to me as a builder — somebody that builds lots of big, nice projects before I got here," Trump said as he reviewed renderings of the plan.

Public Reaction

Despite the administration’s promotion of the project, recent polling shows skepticism among the public about the president’s local construction focus. A CNN poll released Wednesday found 58% of Americans said they felt dissatisfied or angry about Trump's construction projects in Washington, and 73% said he had not paid enough attention to the nation’s most important problems.

The Dulles proposal adds to a pattern of the president using the Oval Office as a platform to unveil major building ideas that aim to reshape both the physical landscape of Washington, DC, and the political conversation about his administration’s priorities.

Reporting notes: CBS News first reported details of the phased renovation plan. United Airlines and MWAA have provided elements of the design and funding framework. CNN contributed reporting to this story.