Trump Proposes Massive Triumphal Arch in Washington D.C. for U.S. 250th Anniversary

President Donald Trump released updated renderings on April 10, 2026, for a proposed triumphal arch in Washington, D.C. The structure is intended to serve as a centerpiece for celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of American independence.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that his administration had officially filed the plans with the Commission of Fine Arts, describing the project as the GREATEST and MOST BEAUTIFUL Triumphal Arch, anywhere in the World.

The proposed monument, which has been referred to by some media as the Arc de Trump and is also known as the Memorial Circle arch or Independence Arch, would stand 250 feet tall. The design features a gilded arch topped with a winged figure holding a torch, which Trump has described as Lady Liberty. This central figure is flanked by two eagles and guarded by four lions, all of which would be gilded.

The structure would include inscriptions reading One Nation Under God and Liberty and Justice for All. The renderings for the project were created by the architecture firm Harrison Design.

Location and Scale

The arch is planned for Memorial Circle on Columbia Island, a traffic circle on Memorial Drive located between the end of the Arlington Memorial Bridge and Arlington National Cemetery. This site is positioned on the Virginia side of the Potomac River, directly across from the Lincoln Memorial.

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At 250 feet, the proposed arch would be more than twice the height of the Lincoln Memorial, which stands 99 feet tall. Trump has promoted the project for several months as a signature initiative of his second term, arguing that Washington lacks a monument comparable to those found in other major world capitals to honor military history and the nation’s founding.

Global Comparisons

The proposed Washington arch is designed to surpass several of the world’s most famous triumphal monuments in scale.

• Arc de Triomphe (Paris, France): Standing approximately 164 feet tall, this monument was ordered by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1806 following the victory at Austerlitz to honor French soldiers from the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Trump has noted that his proposed structure takes inspiration from this design but would be significantly larger.
• Arch of Triumph (Pyongyang, North Korea): This structure rises about 197 feet. It was commissioned in 1982 by President Kim Il Sung to commemorate resistance to Japanese occupation between 1925, and 1945.
• Monumento a la Revolución (Mexico City, Mexico): Reaching about 220 feet, this monument was completed in 1938. Originally planned as a legislative palace in the early 1900s, it was repurposed to honor revolutionary leaders and currently serves as a mausoleum. The proposed Washington arch would exceed this structure by roughly 30 feet.

Administrative Process and Opposition

The Interior Department submitted the design to the Commission of Fine Arts, a federal review panel of presidential appointees. The commission is scheduled to evaluate the proposal on April 16, 2026.

Federal budget documents related to cultural and humanities spending indicate that the project could receive $15 million in public funds. This includes $2 million in direct initiative funding and $13 million in matching funds, with additional private contributions expected.

The proposal has met with legal opposition. A historian and a group of Vietnam War veterans have filed a lawsuit to block the construction of the arch, arguing that the monument would disrupt historic sightlines between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.

Conceptual Origins

The idea for the monument was influenced by Duncan G. Stroik, a professor of architecture at the University of Notre Dame who was appointed to the Commission of Fine Arts by Donald Trump in 2019. Stroik argued that the large traffic circle serving as a gateway to Washington should feature something very noteworthy and beautiful, suggesting that the 250th anniversary of the United States provided the ideal opportunity for a triumphal arch.

Further support for the concept appeared in an April 2025 article in the publication The American Mind. In the piece, titled Washington Needs an Arch, art critic Catesby Leigh detailed the visual impact a triumphal arch would have on the axis of monuments along the National Mall.