Overview
- At a White House donor dinner, President Trump displayed multiple 3D models and renderings of a triumphal arch he wants built as a gateway marking the U.S. 250th anniversary.
- The proposed site is Memorial Circle on the Virginia side of the Arlington Memorial Bridge, directly facing the National Mall and the Lincoln Memorial.
- Architect Nicolas Leo Charbonneau of Harrison Design is tied to the concept, and Trump has shared the firm’s rendering on Truth Social.
- Trump says the project would rely on private funding and suggested leftover donations from the new White House ballroom could help pay for it, but no total cost or firm commitments were disclosed.
- A senior White House official says the idea originated with Trump; experts note the monument would require federal review, such as by the National Capital Planning Commission, and no formal submission has been confirmed.