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The arch will be between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, on the same axis as the most important monuments in the United States. Vietnam veterans have gone to court to stop the construction. The American taxpayer will pay part of the bill. And architects who supported the original idea are now against the size
Washington has the 169-meter obelisk of the Washington Monument. It has the Lincoln Memorial at 30 meters. It has the World War II Memorial, the Martin Luther King Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial. It does not have a triumphal arch. Trump decided that this was a problem. And that the solution was to build the largest in the world.
On this Friday, April 10, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Interior submitted to the Washington Commission of Fine Arts the official renderings of what is already being called the “Trump Arc”: a triumphal arch of 250 feet (76 meters) tall, designed by Harrison Design.
To put it into perspective: the Lincoln Memorial is 30 meters. The arch will be more than double that. The Arc de Triomphe in Paris is 50 meters. Trump’s arch will be 26 meters taller. The Monument to the Revolution in Mexico City, the current world record holder, is 67 meters. The Trump Arc would easily surpass it.
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If built, it will be the tallest triumphal arch on the planet.
What the drawings show
The 12-page renderings reveal a monumental structure of white stone along the banks of the Potomac River. At the top, a golden winged Lady Liberty holding a torch, flanked by two golden eagles. At the base, four golden lions guard the entrances.
On one side, the inscription “One Nation Under God” engraved in gold. On the other, “Liberty and Justice for All.”
The arch will occupy the Memorial Circle, a roundabout at the end of the Arlington Memorial Bridge, on the Virginia side. It will be exactly between two of the most symbolic places in the United States: the Lincoln Memorial on one side of the river and Arlington National Cemetery on the other. The visual axis connecting these two monuments was designed after the Civil War to symbolize the reunification of the country.
The Trump arch will be in the middle of this axis.
“It’s for me”
In October 2025, Trump showed reporters in the Oval Office a model of the arch on his desk. CBS reporter Ed O’Keefe asked: “Who is it for?” Trump replied: “For me. It will be beautiful.”
At a dinner at the White House that same night, guests saw three models in different scales: small, medium, and large. Trump chose the large one. “Small, medium, and large. All look nice. But I think the large one looks, by far, the best,” he said.
In December, he expanded: “Washington is the only major city in the world that does not have a triumphal arch.” And added: “This will be like the one in Paris, but to be honest, it will overshadow it.”
The monument officially celebrates the 250 years of American independence, the so-called semiquincentennial. But Trump’s insistence on associating the project with himself has turned the national celebration into a debate about presidential ego.
Who is against it
In February 2026, the organization Public Citizen went to federal court on behalf of three Vietnam War veterans seeking to suspend the project. The arguments:
The arch would block the view between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington Cemetery, destroying the symbolism of post-Civil War reunification. It did not have Congressional approval, which historically authorizes all monuments in the capital. And it could pose a risk to aviation at Reagan National Airport, which is nearby.
Even architects who originally supported the construction of an arch at the site have changed their position. Art critic Catesby Leigh, who published the article “Washington Needs an Arch” proposing the idea in 2025, has opposed the project since Trump chose the larger version.
Democratic Congressman from California Jared Huffman was direct: “Americans are having to choose between gas and food, and the president’s priority is to spend millions on yet another vanity project.”
Who pays
The spending plan of the National Endowment for the Humanities allocated $2 million in special funds and $13 million in matching funds for the arch. The rest would come from private donations. But the White House has not confirmed the total cost of the project.
The American taxpayer will pay part of the bill. How much exactly, no one knows yet.
What happens now
The Commission of Fine Arts, the federal panel that evaluates design projects in Washington, will review the renderings at the in-person meeting on Thursday, April 17. Trump appointed several allies to the commission, making approval likely.
Meanwhile, the lawsuit filed by the veterans continues to proceed. The battle for the arch will be fought in the courts, in the commission, and in public opinion at the same time.
Trump has already demolished the East Wing of the White House to build a $400 million ballroom (construction halted by a federal judge). He has also approved a commemorative coin of $1 with his own face. The arch is the next step for a president who wants to leave his physical mark on the capital of the most powerful country in the world.
And when asked who it was for, he did not say “for America.” He said “for me.”
With information from CBS News, PBS, Newsweek, Washington Times, and Associated Press.
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