President Trump unveiled official renderings on Friday for a proposed triumphal arch on the National Mall, posting the images on Truth Social and releasing plans through the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. The visuals, produced by Harrison Design, mirror a 3D model Trump showed at a White House event last October.
Planned for the western end of the Arlington Memorial Bridge beside Arlington National Cemetery, the structure would rise to 250 feet — a height the White House says commemorates America’s 250th anniversary. The design evokes Paris’s Arc de Triomphe but would be nearly 100 feet taller, capped by two gilded eagles and a winged, crowned figure that calls to mind the Statue of Liberty. One side would bear the inscription One nation under God; the opposite side would read Liberty and justice for all. At more than twice the height of the Lincoln Memorial, the arch would dominate the nearby skyline.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said the monument would enhance visitors’ experience at Arlington National Cemetery and serve as a visual reminder of sacrifices made for the nation. When asked last year who the monument would honor, Trump responded that it would honor him, a remark that circulated widely.
The proposal has already triggered legal opposition. In February, a group of Vietnam War veterans sued to block construction, arguing the project runs afoul of laws that require explicit congressional authorization for commemorative works and for new structures on federal parklands in the District. Critics have also taken aim at the design’s monumental scale; Sue Mobley, director of research at Monument Lab, called it emblematic of Trump-era grandiosity and said its size makes legal challenges likely.
The White House says it will comply with legal processes as the project proceeds. The National Park Service requested a review by the Commission of Fine Arts, which is scheduled to consider the designs next week. That commission is currently composed entirely of members appointed by Trump after he dismissed six sitting members in October 2025. The National Capital Planning Commission is also expected to review the plans.
No final cost has been disclosed. The White House says funding would come from a mix of public and private sources; Harrison Design has not released pricing details.
The arch is one of several high-profile architecture and preservation controversies tied to the administration. Officials are pressing ahead with a roughly $400 million neoclassical ballroom addition after a federal appeals court temporarily allowed construction to continue while the administration contests a ruling that congressional approval is required; demolition in the East Wing has already taken place. The Rose Garden has been replaced with a stone patio, and plans to close the Kennedy Center for a two-year renovation prompted a lawsuit from preservation and architecture groups in March. The administration has also proposed redesigns at Washington Dulles International Airport through a Department of Transportation initiative that solicited proposals from several major firms.
In August, the president signed an executive order directing that new federal buildings with construction budgets over $50 million be designed in classical or traditional styles, a policy that has shaped recent project proposals and stirred further debate over historic preservation and federal design standards.