WASHINGTON (TNND) — President Donald Trump wants to build a giant arch, welcoming people into Washington D.C. from Arlington National Cemetery as they travel across the Memorial Bridge.
AFP correspondent Danny Kemp shared a photo on X of Trump’s desk in the Oval Office, which showed a map of the Memorial Bridge. The map includes a replica of the Lincoln Memorial and on the other side of the Potomac River on the Virginia side, there is a replica of Trump’s proposed archway.
Trump told advisors that he wants to base the arch off of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. That monument was created to honor all of the Frenchmen killed during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
“Let’s build something like the Arc de Triomphe in that space, it would be beautiful when you drive or fly in,” Trump told a White House visitor a few weeks ago according to Axios.
Trump reportedly has been toying with three different 3D printed models of the arch in an effort to pinpoint the perfect size of the monument.
On Saturday, Trump shared on Truth Social an illustration, designed by architect Nicolas Leo, of what the arch would look like.
The arch is just the latest building and renovation project by Trump, who has already begun work in building a $250 million ballroom off the White House. The project is being privately fund by Trump and his supporters.
Since returning to the White House, Trump
Thus far, Trump has paved over the Rose Garden lawn, gilded the Oval Office, replaced tile floors in the bathroom of the Lincoln Bedroom, and replaced trees on the South Lawn.
White House officials say Trump has dedicated as many as 20 hours to some of these projects. Some historical preservations experts have raised concerns over Trump’s renovations, but White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles shared in a news release that the Trump administration is “fully committed to working with the appropriate organizations to preserving the special history of the White House.”
Many officials say that Trump’s renovations projections are his mode of relaxation and unwinding amid grappling with tense trade deals and other policy talks.
“President [George W.] Bush liked to paint,” a White House aide told Axios. “Trump likes to build and design. This is his artistic outlet.”
The National News Desk reached out to the White House for comment.
