The proposed 76-metre arch would tower over other iconic landmarks in Washington, DC, and has attracted scrutiny.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Published On 16 Apr 2026<\/span>16 Apr 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n United States President Donald Trump\u2019s goal of erecting a colossal arch in Washington, DC, has taken another step forward, with a key agency approving his proposed design for the monument.<\/p>\n The US Commission of Fine Arts, whose members were appointed by Trump, gave its go-ahead to the president\u2019s design for a lofty 76-metre-high (250-foot) arch.<\/p>\n list of 3 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n If given final approval, the arch would be built on Memorial Circle, between the Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial. It would tower above other landmarks in the national capital.<\/p>\n White House spokesperson Davis Ingle hailed the commission\u2019s approval as a \u201cstep in accomplishing President Trump\u2019s promise to the American people from the campaign trail \u2014 to Make America Safe and Beautiful Again\u201d.<\/p>\n But the arch has faced criticism, including for potentially obscuring views of the national cemetery, a resting place for war veterans.<\/p>\n Public Citizen Litigation Group is representing some Vietnam War veterans in a lawsuit against the proposed construction, which they argue needs congressional approval.<\/p>\n Even the vice chair of the Commission of Fine Arts, James McCrery II, suggested that Trump\u2019s proposed \u201cTriumphal Arch\u201d ditch the winged statue and eagles on its top. He also opposed the lions at its base, pointing out that African animals are \u201cnot a beast natural to the North American continent\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n The enormous arch is another effort by the US president to leave his mark on the physical landscape of Washington, DC.<\/p>\n In January, he told reporters he wants the arch to be the \u201cbiggest one of all\u201d. The commission still needs to vote on final approval for the proposal after reviewing updated designs.<\/p>\n Current plans show the arch would be significantly larger than the Lincoln Memorial, which is 99 feet (30 metres) tall, and about twice as tall as the famous Arc de Triomphe in Paris, which the design resembles.<\/p>\n The phrases \u201cOne Nation Under God\u201d and \u201cLiberty and Justice for All\u201d would be written in gold lettering atop either side of the monument.<\/p>\n About three out of every four people who delivered public comments about the project expressed opposition, many of them citing its enormous size.<\/p>\n But the arch is one of several Trump projects that have received public pushback.<\/p>\n Trump has sought to paint the granite of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building white, and his allies plan to close the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a national theatre complex, for two years of renovations, after adding Trump\u2019s name to the exterior.<\/p>\n One of the most permanent changes so far has been the abrupt demolition of the White House\u2019s East Wing, in order to make room for an enormous ballroom, long one of Trump\u2019s priorities.<\/p>\n But that project is likewise entangled in legal battles, with critics arguing that congressional approval is required.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, Judge Richard Leon clarified that construction on underground structures at the ballroom site could continue, as part of an exemption he previously allowed for national security concerns.<\/p>\n But he maintained his short-term injunction against construction on the ballroom itself, batting down Trump\u2019s position that the whole project should proceed.<\/p>\n \u201cDefendants argue that the entire ballroom construction project, from tip to tail, falls within the safety-and-security exception and therefore may proceed unabated,\u201d Leon wrote<\/a> in Thursday\u2019s ruling.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is neither a reasonable nor a correct reading of my Order!\u201d<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2017-06-08T131939Z_1189275883_RC11B0FE7F20_RTRMADP_3_GULF-QATAR-JAZEERA-1714943623.jpg?resize=96%2C96&quality=80)
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRecommended Stories <\/h2>\n