In addition to tearing down the East Wing of the White House to make way for a ballroom and using federal grant funds to support the creation of the National Garden of Heroes, President Donald Trump is considering erecting a grand arch in Washington, D.C.
Plans for the project were unveiled at a dinner at the White House to thank Trump donors for their contributions, namely $250 million earmarked for the ballroom. Guests reportedly included representatives from such tech firms as Amazon, Apple, Meta, Google, Microsoft, and Palantir, as well as the defense giant Lockheed Martin, among others.
The proposed location for what some have dubbed the “Arc de Trump” places it across from the Lincoln Memorial, as a gateway into the city when entering from the Arlington Memorial Bridge from Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. It would be overlooked by Arlington House, the former home of Confederate general Robert E. Lee.
“That’s Arlington Memorial Bridge,” Trump reportedly explained. “And at the end of it, you have a circle that was built 150 years ago. You have two columns on one side, two columns on the other, yet in the middle, just a circle. And everyone in the past had said something was supposed to be built there. But a thing called the Civil War interfered. That’s a good reason.”
Triumphal arches were often employed by the Romans to commemorate notable military victories, with some incorporating spolia, or looted goods, into their designs. The famous Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the foundation of which was laid to celebrate Emperor Napoleon’s birthday in 1806, is one of the most modern iterations.
The “Arc de Trump” would coincide with the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of America’s founding. It would be considered his biggest architectural mark on the U.S. capital.
Trump did not offer additional details about the cost, who is funding the project, or required permits. He did tell guests at the dinner, however, “It’s so relaxing for me. Real estate is relaxing. For a lot of people, real estate is a very trying business. I’ve always liked it. I’ve always done well with it.”
