Trump announces Triumphal Arch will house military complex for drones and snipers for ‘national security’ purposes
Trump asserted that there will be no comparable facility anywhere else in the world and that, of the 59 major cities and capitals, Washington was the only one without a triumphal arch. Now, he said, it will have "the greatest of them all!"
Trump presenting the triumphal arch he wants to build in Washington, D.C.
President Donald Trump announced this Sunday that the triumphal arch he plans to build next to Arlington National Cemetery, at the Memorial Bridge roundabout, will also become a "top grade Military Complex."
In a post on Truth Social he said he had agreed "the strong request of the United States Military, and for National Security purposes" to ensure the monument houses, stores, and has "the rapid ability to use large numbers of drones, plus Snipers, on both the roof and plaza areas, and additionally have and hold large quantities of sniper ammunition in storage."
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An unprecedented monument in the capital
Trump defended the project as a unique landmark: "There will be no facility like this anywhere in the World," he wrote, noting that, of the "59 top cities and Capitals," Washington was "THE ONLY ONE IN THE WORLD THAT DOES NOT HAVE A TRIUMPHAL ARCH" and that it will now have "the greatest of them all."
The project, about 250 feet tall, is planned for the memorial circle next to the bridge connecting the Mall to Arlington, on the banks of the Potomac.
Without consulting Congress and amid ongoing litigation
The Trump administration has not sought congressional approval for such a major change to the capital's landscape, where any intervention on the National Mall and its surroundings is typically subject to intense legislative and regulatory scrutiny.
At the same time, veterans have filed lawsuits to block the arch, arguing that it will destroy the historic line of sight between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, one of Washington's most iconic symbolic axes.
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Despite this, aviation experts have warned of risks given the proximity to Ronald Reagan National Airport.
The arch is the latest in a series of renovations pushed by Trump since his return to the presidency, several of which are already the subject of legal challenges. Among them is a costly ballroom in the White House, for the construction of which an entire wing of the presidential residence was demolished. He has also promoted a complex renovation of the Reflecting Pool, the large body of water on the National Mall, and even temporarily placed his name on the walls of the Kennedy Center, before a judge ordered the inscription to be removed from the cultural venue dedicated to John F. Kennedy.
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