"It’s going to be really beautiful. I think it’s going to be fantastic."
The promise
Donald J. Trump unveiled plans in October 2025 for a monumental arch in Washington D.C., called the “Arc de Trump” or “Independence Arch,” to mark the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. The project envisions a large triumphal arch modeled after Paris’s Arc de Triomphe, to be sited near Memorial Circle (across the Potomac from the Lincoln Memorial) or between Arlington Memorial Bridge and Arlington National Cemetery. Trump displayed three model sizes (small, medium, large) and expressed preference for the large version, stating that “America needs a triumphal arch.” The proposal remains preliminary: no finalized cost, timeline or federal approval has been announced. It would leverage leftover funds from his planned White House ballroom project, and still faces design, funding, historic-preservation and legal review hurdles in Washington. Critics call it a vanity project; supporters frame it as symbolic national architecture. As of 2025 the item remains in proposal stage.
