While Americans deal with rising costs, an ongoing war with Iran, and sweeping cuts to federal programs, President Trump has a different priority: building the tallest triumphal arch on Earth.
On Friday, the Trump administration officially filed designs with the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts for a 250-foot monument it’s calling the “Triumphal Arch.” The structure, designed by architecture firm Harrison Design, would sit at Memorial Circle — a traffic roundabout on the Virginia side of the Potomac River, directly between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
The arch would be “a personal affront to people, like me, who have fought for this Nation and devoted their careers to serving it.”
Michael Lemmon, Veteran
The 12-page filing reveals a neoclassical archway topped with a gilded, winged figure modeled after Lady Liberty, holding a torch and wearing a crown. Two golden eagles flank her. Four golden lions guard the base. The words “One Nation Under God” and “Liberty and Justice for All” are inscribed in gold across either side.
It would dwarf the Lincoln Memorial, which stands at 99 feet. It would also surpass Mexico City’s Monumento a la Revolución (220 feet) and the Arc de Triomphe in Paris (164 feet) to become the largest triumphal arch in the world — which is exactly the point.
“We’re Going to Top it By a Lot”
Trump first floated the idea in October 2025 at a donor dinner. By December, he was bragging openly. He claimed Washington was “the only city in the world that’s of great importance that doesn’t have a triumphal arch,” and promised his version would blow them all away.
He even posted a photo of India Gate in New Delhi on social media, writing: “India’s beautiful Triumphal Arch. Ours will be the greatest of them all!”
The nickname “Arc de Trump” caught on almost immediately — and not as a compliment.
Taxpayers on the Hook
Here’s where it gets worse. Trump initially suggested the arch could be privately funded, possibly using leftover money from the $300–$400 million White House ballroom project. But documents from the National Endowment for the Humanities tell a different story.
According to the NEH’s spending plan, approved by the Office of Management and Budget, $15 million in federal funds have been set aside for the project — $2 million in direct funding and $13 million in matching grants.
That means American taxpayers are now expected to partially bankroll what critics have rightly called a vanity monument.
The full cost of the arch hasn’t been publicly disclosed, which only raises more questions about where the rest of the money is coming from and how much this thing will ultimately cost.
Veterans Say it Dishonors Their Service
In February, three Vietnam War veterans — Michael Lemmon, Shaun Byrnes, and Jon Gundersen — along with retired architectural historian Calder Loth, filed a federal lawsuit to block the project.
Represented by the nonprofit advocacy group Public Citizen, they argue the arch was never authorized by Congress and would violate the Commemorative Works Act, the law designed to protect the integrity of Washington’s memorial landscape.
The veterans say the monument would destroy a historically significant sightline between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House at Arlington National Cemetery — a view deliberately designed after the Civil War to symbolize national reunification.
A 250-foot arch planted in the middle would obliterate that.
Lead plaintiff Michael Lemmon put it plainly: the arch would be “a continuous visual affront” and “a personal affront to people, like me, who have fought for this Nation and devoted their careers to serving it.”
The lawsuit also raised concerns that a structure of this size could pose a hazard to air traffic at nearby Reagan National Airport.
Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan declined to issue a preliminary injunction to halt the project last week, meaning it can continue moving through the approval process for now.
A Stacked Review Board
The Commission of Fine Arts is scheduled to consider the arch design at its April 16 meeting. But here’s the thing: Trump has already appointed a number of allies to the commission.
That makes the prospect of genuine independent oversight about as thin as the gold leaf on those lion statues.
The project also falls under the jurisdiction of the National Capital Planning Commission, another federal body that will need to weigh in. But with Trump allies embedded across review agencies, critics worry the approval process is more performance than substance.
The Bigger Picture
This isn’t about whether Washington should have a nice monument for America’s 250th birthday. It’s about priorities, process, and who our government actually serves.
While Americans watch federal workers get fired, social programs slashed, and an unpopular war escalate in the Middle East, the president wants to spend taxpayer money erecting a gilded monument to national greatness — or, more accurately, to himself.
The arch bypassed congressional authorization. The funding contradicts promises of private financing. The review panels are stacked with loyalists. And veterans who fought for this country are being told their objections don’t matter enough to pause construction.
Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia summed it up: “While Americans worry about skyrocketing costs and another endless war, President Trump is focused on a taxpayer-funded vanity project that would choke traffic, block our skyline, and tower over sacred ground where those who served our nation are buried.”
A triumphal arch is meant to celebrate military victory. The question worth asking is: whose triumph, exactly, does this one celebrate?
