OMM Newsroom
The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) voted 8-4 on Thursday to approve construction of a 250-foot (72-metre) arch proposed by President Donald Trump in Washington, according to the BBC. The administration has said work could begin as early as this week, although legal challenges remain.
Trump-appointed members of the commission described the project as a tribute to US history and veterans. Opponents argue that it would obstruct views of Arlington National Cemetery, where thousands of US service members are buried. Some protesters have said they would physically try to block construction.
The project, dubbed the “Arc de Trump” in a play on the name of Paris’s Arc de Triomphe, is part of Trump’s efforts to reshape the US capital and is intended to mark the country’s 250th anniversary. The commission’s approval followed nearly nine hours of public comment.
Design and purpose of the arch
A design rendering released earlier this year showed a golden, winged Lady Liberty statue atop the arch, flanked by two gold eagles. The phrases “One Nation Under God” and “Liberty and Justice for All” appear in gold on either side of the structure.
The administration has said the arch would also serve as a facility for storing military equipment, with the capacity to deploy snipers and drones. Trump previously wrote on Truth Social that “There will be no facility like this anywhere in the World.” He also said Washington was the only one of the “59 top cities and Capitals” without a triumphal arch, without specifying which cities he meant.
NCPC Chairman Mark Paoletta, a Trump appointee, said at Thursday’s meeting that the president understood “it’s important to our national identity to display who we are through grand monuments”. Paoletta and other commissioners said the project fulfils a 100-year plan for a monumental work on Columbia Island. He added that the arch would honour the nation and its veterans, and provide Arlington National Cemetery with “the monumental gateway it deserves”.
Veterans and lawmakers oppose the project
Anne Wright, who served in the US military for 29 years and later worked in the diplomatic service, told the BBC she would try to stop construction. “We’ll tie ourselves to the bulldozer, we’ve got veterans in wheelchairs and we’ll chain the wheelchairs to these things,” she said.
Wright referred to this week’s midterm elections, in which Trump’s Republican Party lost control of Congress, saying: “[Trump’s] policy of war, of ego, they’ve been rejected.”
John Pomeroy, a veteran who served in the Air Force for six years, including during the Vietnam War, said the arch would “lessen the solemn nature of a visit to the cemetery”. His parents are buried at Arlington. He called the proposal to store military equipment at the site “silly” and a “half-baked idea”, arguing that it could become a target for terrorist attacks. Pomeroy said he would “impede construction workers as much as I can” if work began.
Democratic Congressman Jared Huffman told the commission that the structure would disrupt views of both Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial. He said it would fracture “a view meant to underscore the unity and sacrifice of the American people”, adding that grand arches are often associated with emperors or kings building monuments to themselves. “This is a tribute to Donald Trump,” Huffman said.
Lawsuits challenging the plans raise concerns about the environment, traffic congestion and safety. There is also disagreement over whether congressional approval is required.
The arch is one of several construction projects Trump has proposed in the US capital. Legal challenges are also being brought against plans for a White House ballroom estimated to cost $400 million (£300 million), and against a proposed renovation of a 106-year-old golf course that Trump has called “trash island”.
