On Wednesday, President Trump unveiled plans for a major new monument that could be added to Washington, D.C.: a grand, classically styled arch topped with eagles and a gilded, winged statue reminiscent of Victory.
A watercolor rendition of the proposed arch, created by architect Nicolas Leo Charbonneau of Harrison Design and posted online last month, was also shared by the president on his Truth Social account. The design bears strong aesthetic similarities to Paris’ Arc de Triomphe and the Soldiers and Sailors’ Memorial Arch in Brooklyn. Witty commentators have already nicknamed the proposed monument the “Arc de Trump.”
The renderings evoke the neoclassical architectural style favored by founding figures such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
Journalists leaving an Oval Office event on Wednesday asked President Trump who the arch would be built for. He replied simply, “Me.”
Later that evening, at a fundraising dinner held in the East Room to support his planned $250 million ballroom addition to the White House, the president displayed three differently scaled models of the possible arch. The largest model appears to dwarf nearby iconic structures like the Lincoln Memorial.
“Whichever one would look good. I happen to think the large one,” he said.
The proposed arch is being discussed as a commemoration of the nation’s 250th anniversary next year. The intended location is a traffic circle between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial.
It is important to note that the design of any new federal building or memorial must be approved by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA). However, the CFA is currently closed due to the ongoing government shutdown.
NPR reached out to the White House for comments regarding the CFA’s potential involvement and the timeline for construction. The White House referred NPR back to the president’s remarks made during the Oval Office event and the fundraising dinner on Wednesday.
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/16/nx-s1-5576506/president-trump-arch-us-250th-anniversary