Planned Trump arch would dwarf Lincoln Memorial, new plans show

Washington — The Interior Department has submitted renderings of President Trump’s proposed triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery, showing that the structure would dwarf the Lincoln Memorial across the Potomac River. 

The proposal calls for the arch to be roughly 250 feet tall, more than twice as high as the 99-foot tall Lincoln Memorial. It would be the tallest triumphal arch in the world, like the president said he wanted, roughly 30 feet taller than the Plaza de la República in Mexico City. 

The proposed building site sits in a traffic circle on the Virginia side of the Potomac, in between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, on land that technically falls within the boundaries of the District of Columbia. The plans show inscriptions reading “One Nation Under God” and “Liberty and Justice For All” would be on either side of the arch. Gold-colored statues of Lady Liberty, flanked by two eagles, would top the structure, with four statues of lions around the base. 

The designs were prepared by Harrison Design, an architecture firm in Washington.

The president has championed this project, sharing design concepts over the last several months and saying the arch is for “me.” Mr. Trump has said the arch, which resembles Paris’ Arc de Triomphe, will commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary. 

American taxpayers will help fund the construction of the arch, according to the spending plan for the National Endowment for the Humanities released by the administration earlier this week. 

According to the endowment’s spending plan, which was approved by the Office of Management and Budget in September, $2 million in special initiative funds and $13 million in matching funds “are reserved for the arch.” 

The president said he wants the arch to be the “biggest one of all” in the world. The proposed site is situated along a flight path for nearby Reagan National Airport, raising questions about it might affect planes’ approach.

The Commission of Fine Arts, a panel composed entirely of Trump appointees, will hear a presentation about the arch on April 16.