Democrat-run cities that will be hosting events for three major occasions; the FIFA World Cup, the nation's 250th birthday and the Olympics, are cleaning up their streets ahead of an expected surge of visitors, and the good or bad publicity that will inevitably follow.

"Cities are cleaning up their streets before the World Cup," Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, quipped on X. "Why does it take a special occasion for Democrats to do their job." 

A history of procrastination 

The practice of waiting until an eventful reason to clean up a city is not new. Infamously, the city of Chicago's pre-2024 DNC cleanup was characterized as political theater – superficial optics over substance. Ahead of the convention, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration rushed crews to sweep streets, trim trees, remove graffiti and clear visible homeless encampments near the United Center and McCormick Place.

While the city poured resources into prettifying select corridors for delegates and cameras, daily realities for residents –persistent crime and trash-strewn neighborhoods – appeared to remain largely ignored.

Additionally, the city of San Francisco, California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Biden administration were sharply criticized for only cleaning up the notoriously dirty and crime-ridden city before the arrival of China's Xi Jinping in November 2023 for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Again, graffiti was scrubbed, new murals and planters were installed, crumbling sidewalks were resurfaced, and homeless encampments eradicated. 

Similarly, Los Angeles cleans up the area surrounding where the Academy Awards take place every year. The location of the Oscars has changed in recent years, from the Shrine Auditorium and Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles in the late 90s and early 2000s to the current venue, the Dolby Theater in Hollywood. 

Washington, D.C. is already glowed-up

Democrat-led Washington, D.C. got a head start on their cleanup thanks to President Donald Trump. 

In March 2025, Trump signed the Executive Order “Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful,” establishing the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force to combat crime, restore order, protect monuments and promote beautification. 

The nation's capital looks demonstrably different amid the restoration of buildings, monuments, memorials, parks and roadways. The glow-up efforts also included removing graffiti from public areas, clearing homeless encampments on federal lands and ensuring cleanliness in high-visibility spaces. 

Furthermore, the administration declared a crime emergency in August 2025, sending federal law enforcement, National Guard troops and other resources to the nation's capital. 

The effort led to thousands of arrests, seizure of hundreds of illegal firearms, and crackdowns on violent offenders, narcotics and gangs. The results: homicides are down around 50-60%, robberies and carjackings are significantly lower and overall violent crime dropped 30-49% in key periods compared to prior years. 

But the D.C. changes haven't received universal praise. Trump's efforts to resurface the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool have been excoriated, even though former President Barack Obama attempted a similar project spending tens of millions more.

During Obama's administration, the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool underwent a major $34-$35 million renovation. It included a new filtration and circulation systems, but failed to fully resolve leaks and algae issues. In contrast, Trump's project has an estimated cost of $13.1 million for sealing, resurfacing, and painting the pool blue, a fraction of Obama-era costs for similar repairs.

Voters want it clean

If these cities make the improvements permanent, they would be better for it, especially in the eyes of voters. Spencer Pratt, a registered Republican, is surging in polls in the mayoral race in Los Angeles, a city that hasn't elected a Republican mayor for the last quarter-century.  

His favorability with Angelenos is likely due to his proposed policies many view as common sense, and one of those hallmark issues is cleaning up the city.

The reality star villain's campaign has aggressively highlighted the city’s dirty streets, homelessness crisis and decline under current leadership.

Pratt released viral ads blasting filthy sidewalks and encampments, promising a “camera-ready” LA with zero-tolerance policies, rapid cleanups, audits and visible fixes like graffiti removal and street repairs.

Creative stunts include power-washing campaign stencils onto grimy pavements – messages that vanish only if streets are truly cleaned. 

The U.S. will host the FIFA World Cup 2026 across 11 cities: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area, with the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. 

America’s 250th birthday celebrations peak on July 4, 2026, with major events in Boston; New York; Philadelphia; Charleston, South Carolina; and Washington, D.C. 

In 2028, Los Angeles will host the Summer Olympics and Paralympics, utilizing venues across Greater LA including the LA Memorial Coliseum, SoFi Stadium and the Rose Bowl.

Amanda Head is White House Correspondent for Just The News. You can find her here.