The Milken Center: A Monument to Trump's America

The Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream falls somewhere between a tax right off and an indoctrination center for kids. It's part of the Milken Institute, founded in 1991 by junk bond king Michael Milken to direct his philanthropic work. The Center just opened in September 2025, and only a few blocks from the White House. They couldn't have chosen a better location. The Center is housed in the former residence of the Riggs Bank.

At one point, Riggs billed itself as "the most important bank in the most important city in the world." Twenty-three US presidents or their families banked with Riggs, stretching from Martin Van Buren to Richard Nixon. Numerous congress people, ambassadors and other veeps such as Confederate president Jefferson Davis, Susan B. Anthony, and General Douglas MacArthur, banked with Riggs at one point.

As you may have guessed, the bank has been a lightning rod for controversy prior to its 2005 collapse, especially in the twenty-first century. It helped Augusto Pinochet hide his ill-gotten fortunate and laundered the fortune of another brutal dictator, Equatorial Guinea's Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. It's greatest brush with notoriety, however, were two accounts linked to the 9/11 hijackers that provided them with funds.

I for one can't think of a more fitting location for Milken to pay tribute to American capitalism.

The first thing that jumps out when one enters the building is the so-called "Tree of Generations." I take it this is supposed to be a monument to the intergenerational wealth that capitalism produces. At least, I think.

I thought about adding my picture for the briefest of moments, then came to my senses:

For some reason, I found the tapestries in this place kinda creepy:

There's no denying the decor is striking:

it's art gallery, not so much:

I concede, it's slightly better than the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation's gallery. The operative word being slightly.

Elsewhere, the Milken Center offers up its perception of capitalism's pivotal moments:

Apparently, this thing has something to do with the glories of private education:

There's even a whole section dedicated to capitalism's contributions to medicine:

Given that the Milken Center is located only a few blocks from the White House, the plan is clearly to lure the next generation in while they're on class field trips: Come for the Trump White House, hang around for the Milken Center. No doubt overtures are already being made to Red states. The kids could be taught the art of the tax right-off by just walking in the door...

In a bid to appeal to the youth, immersion and interaction is all over the place. My attempts to play with the technology were not so pleasing to the overlords:

So it goes.

And that concludes our sneak peak of the Milken Center. If you're planning a trip to DC in the near future, thank about stopping by. It's free and fits right in with the National Guardsmen in DC's streets and the Trump banners across the city. Plus, your attendance will only enable further tax right-offs for the Milken family, and thus, more funding more MAGA.

Now that's intergenerational wealth baby.