Since last year, President Donald Trump has been wanting a 250-foot triumphal arch built in Washington, D.C..
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arch → want → Washington
On Sunday, he said that the arch would, in fact, be a "Military Complex" with "large numbers of drones, plus Snipers.
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arch → say → drones
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"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," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
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Trump → agree → Social
"Out of the 59 top cities and Capitals, Washington, D.C., IS THE ONLY ONE IN THE WORLD THAT DOES NOT HAVE A TRIUMPHAL ARCH, but it will now and, by far, the greatest of them all!"
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it → have → them
The idea for a triumphal arch situated in Memorial Circle, located by the entryway into D.C. from Virginia, was first publicly suggested in 2024 by Catesby Leigh, a former research fellow at the National Civic Art Society (NCAS).
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idea → situate → Society
He argued that although a temporary arch may be more feasible to complete prior to America's 250th anniversary, a "handsome permanent arch" would "be the happiest outcome of all."
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arch → argue → all
The idea was presented to Trump in 2025 by Justin Shubow, president of the NCAS.
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idea → present → NCAS
It was intended to be a temporary construction to commemorate America's 250th anniversary, but at the end of last year, officials were reported to be considering a permanent arch.
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officials → intend → arch
D.C.-based architect Nicolas Leo Charbonneau, who is working on the project for the White House, teased images on his social media of what the permanent structure could look like.
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structure → work → what
"I don't think an arch that large belongs there," Leigh, who contemplated a more modest arch in his 2024 essay, told The Washington Post earlier this year.
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who → think → Post
Indeed, if the White House (70 feet) and the Lincoln Memorial (99 feet) were stacked one on top of each other, they would still be shorter than Trump's proposed 250-foot arch.
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they → stack → arch
While there is not a publicly displayed final price tag, reports suggest that it could cost as much as $100 million.
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it → be → million
Trump initially floated paying for it with leftover private donations from his White House ballroom project, but taxpayer cash is already being slated for the arch.
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cash → float → arch
The National Endowment for the Humanities has already set aside $15 million for the arch.
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Endowment → set → arch
Separately, the agency has awarded $30,000 to the NCAS to develop "architectural plans, renderings, and models" of "the Independence Arch" and examine "how form, scale, and symbolism can convey historical meaning in public space."
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form → award → space
Meanwhile, the National Park Service awarded Portland-based engineering firm OTAK a $500,601 contract to conduct environmental assessment and compliance work for the Memorial Circle arch.
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Service → award → arch
The arch has run into various legal barriers.
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arch → run → barriers
In February 2026, a group including Vietnam veterans and an architectural historian sued the administration, asking the court to block construction unless Congress authorizes the arch and the administration completes the required statutory review processes.
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administration → include → processes
Indeed, under the Commemorative Works Act, new commemorative works within "Area I" (which the Memorial Circle falls under) generally require congressional approval.
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Circle → fall → approval
The Trump administration argues that Congress provided authorization in 1925, when it approved plans associated with Arlington Memorial Bridge that considered two monumental columns at roughly the same location.
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that → argue → location
The legal troubles continued earlier this month, when U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered the Trump administration to give 48 hours' notice before undertaking work at the site.
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Chutkan → continue → site
The project also awaits final approval from the National Capital Planning Commission for an exemption to Washington's 130-foot building height limit.
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project → await → limit
The location's proximity to Reagan National Airport has also raised aviation safety concerns.
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proximity → raise → concerns
The structure would sit roughly 3,000 feet from the airport and within an approach and departure corridor.
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structure → sit → corridor
The Federal Aviation Administration recently determined that the arch itself would not pose a hazard to aircraft but would be required to have an "eternal flame" on top.
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arch → determine → top
However, Trump's new plans to operate "large numbers of drones" from the site raise a separate set of questions that were not part of the earlier proposal.
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that → operate → proposal
Trump's announcement is a significant departure from the project federal agencies have spent months reviewing.
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agencies → spend → months
Until Sunday, the arch was presented as a commemorative tourist attraction.
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arch → present → attraction
Turning it into an operational military facility, capable of storing ammunition and deploying drones and snipers, would require an enormous amount of additional security infrastructure.
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Turning → turn → infrastructure
It could also complicate the project's authorization and funding.
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It → complicate → authorization
As a commemorative work on federal land, the arch is subject to the Commemorative Works Act, while construction associated with an operational military facility could implicate a separate body of military construction law.
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construction → associate → law
Federal law generally provides that military construction projects must be "authorized by law," though the Pentagon has narrower authorities for certain smaller projects.
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Pentagon → provide → projects
It remains unclear what authority or funding source the administration would use for the newly proposed military functions.
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administration → remain → functions
Just 21 percent of Americans supported the president's plans for a commemorative arch in April, with 41 percent saying they strongly opposed it, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll.
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they → support → poll
Of course, residents may feel more strongly about passing a "Military Complex" on their morning commute.
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residents → feel → commute
If the president gets his way, military drones and snipers may become a permanent fixture on the capital city's border.
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drones → get → border
The Aporia
