President Donald Trump announced Sunday that his proposed 250-foot triumphal arch would serve as both a monument and a “top grade Military Complex.”
“At the strong request of the United States Military, and for National Security purposes, I have agreed to convert the magnificent Triumphal Arch…into a top grade Military Complex/Triumphal Arch.” The complex would “house, store, and have 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,” he added.
“There will be no facility like this anywhere in the World,” Trump said. The arch is planned for Memorial Circle on Columbia Island, between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
Trump has made a similar national security argument in the legal battle over his White House ballroom, saying the project would include an underground bunker and other military facilities beneath the building. The Supreme Court allowed construction to continue after finding that its challenger likely lacked standing, but it did not rule on whether Trump had the legal authority to build the ballroom without congressional approval.
As with the ballroom, critics argue that Trump lacks the congressional approval needed to build the arch. Trump has not disputed that he is building a monument for himself. He told New York Magazine that “Nobody will do it once I’m gone. When I leave here, nobody will.”
House Democrats introduced a bill in May to block the arch and to require congressional approval for similar structures on National Park Service land in the capital region. Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV), who co-led the bill with Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), said, “It goes beyond that to say that you also can’t do it on other places that are federally owned, specifically national parks.” More than 20 House Democrats signed on to the bill.
Attorney with Public Citizen Litigation Group Nicolas Sansone told The New York Times that Trump was “trying to paper over a patently unlawful project by giving it a veneer of national security justification.” He added, “It simply has no legal foundation whatsoever unless and until Congress passes a law saying he can build it.”
The arch is part of the Trump administration’s push to make D.C. “safe and beautiful,” a goal set out in a March 2025 executive order: “As the capital city of the greatest Nation in the history of the world, it should showcase beautiful, clean, and safe public spaces.” The National Endowment for the Humanities has reserved $15 million for initial planning, and the administration has not released a final cost estimate. Reports have put the price tag at roughly $100 million.
So far, the Trump administration has cleaned up Meridian Hill Park, restored Columbus Circle Fountain at Union Station, made renovations to the Reflecting Pool, unveiled a $22.5 billion overhaul of Dulles International Airport, and brought in the National Guard to heighten security around the nation’s capital. The D.C. National Guard’s Task Force Beautification has also completed at least 100 “beautification projects” around the city.
The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Wire’s request for comment.
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