Trump says 250-foot DC arch will house weapons as military complex

Park Service warned arch could harm historic sites

President Donald Trump said on Sunday morning that his planned 250-foot triumphal arch in Washington DC will be built as a “top grade military complex,” equipped with drone and ammunition storage and customised sniper facilities on the roof and plaza. The president claimed in a Truth Social post that the redesign came at the “strong request” of the US military.

The arch is intended for a circle near the Memorial Bridge, a site the National Park Service warned last week could have “adverse effects to historic properties” and called for additional planning before building work went ahead. The Park Service’s concerns center on the project’s potential to interrupt sight lines to the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, which would flank the structure. The arch’s proximity to Ronald Reagan Washington International Airport has also prompted questions from Democratic members of Congress.

The triumphal arch is one of several construction projects Trump has initiated that he claims are necessary to elevate the visual greatness of the US capital, but which critics have described as thinly veiled efforts to promote his own legacy. Other projects include a White House ballroom, the refurbishment of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool and the renovation of the Kennedy Center.

Trump has also referred to the White House ballroom as a “military complex.” That project faced legal challenges until the US Supreme Court ruled last month that it could proceed. In the case of the Kennedy Center, Trump has suggested he might demolish the property altogether after courts blocked the addition of his name to its title.

Trump said on Sunday that the arch would be unique, adding that “there will be no facility like this anywhere in the world.” Groundbreaking on the project is expected to begin this month. Trump has linked the project to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and said the structure would be “by far the greatest” triumphal arch in any of the world’s top cities and capitals. The arch is to be clad in granite and topped with three golden statues.