Trump admin reveals plans for massive Washington arch

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A FILE picture shows President Donald Trump holding up a model for the proposed “Independence Arch”.—AFP
A FILE picture shows President Donald Trump holding up a model for the proposed “Independence Arch”.—AFP

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday revealed renderings for a colossal triumphal arch proposed for construction in Washington near some of the nation’s most revered monuments.

At 250 feet (76.2 meters) it would pip Mexico City’s Monument to the Revolution by 30 feet, making it the largest structure of its kind in the world, and knocking Pyongyang’s Arch of Triumph to third place.

The gold-accented arch would also tower over the 99-foot-tall Lincoln Memorial, sitting just across the Potomac River at the other end of Arlington Memorial Bridge, and be clearly visible from Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, the final resting place for many of the nation’s military heroes.

The structure “will be the GREATEST and MOST BEAUTIFUL Triumphal Arch, anywhere in the World,” Trump wrote on his social media platform. “This will be a wonderful addition to the Washington DC area for all Americans to enjoy for many decades to come!”

The arch is one of several architectural projects — including the construction of a large White House ballroom, lambasted by critics, and renovations to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts — that Trump has undertaken to leave a mark on Washington in his second term.

Drawings and computer-generated renderings show a large, winged Lady Liberty flanked by two eagles — all gilded — atop a towering white arch. Golden inscriptions read “One Nation Under God” and “Liberty and Justice for All” on opposite sides.

Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2026

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