Construction is set to begin on the 250-foot Great Triumphal Arch, a monument that critics say will dominate views of the capital and cost up to $250 million from taxpayers and private donors. The arch, which would be nearly twice as tall as the Lincoln Memorial and dwarf Paris' Arc de Triomphe, has been criticized by veterans, local officials, and preservationists who call it a "gaudy vanity project" imposed on hallowed ground. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced the start of excavation work on social media, touting the arch as one of America's greatest pieces of architecture. The project is estimated to cost at least $100 million, with some estimates reaching up to $250 million.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event.
Trump’s vanity arch is coming and it’s no triumph for taxpayers
asserted
it → come → taxpayers
-
Click here to listen to this article -
- Construction is set to begin on Trump’s 250-foot Great Triumphal Arch between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, a monument critics say would dominate key views of the capital.
asserted
critics → click → capital
- Estimated to cost up to $250 million from taxpayers and private donors, the arch would dwarf the Lincoln Memorial and even outsize Paris’ Arc de Triomphe.
asserted
arch → estimate → Triomphe
- Veterans, local officials and preservationists are suing and sounding alarms over rushed approvals, missing safety reviews and what they see as a gaudy vanity project imposed on hallowed ground.
asserted
they → sue → ground
The president has called it an “arc.”
asserted
president → call → it
Others, such as the rest of the English-speaking world, refer to it as an “arch.”
asserted
Others → speak → arch
Whatever you choose to call Donald Trump’s latest vanity project, construction crews will soon break ground on the bigliest and most beautiful monument ever in the history of America, the Great Triumphal Arch.
asserted
crews → choose → America
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum made the announcement Thursday on social media:
“After a very long wait (over 125 years!), we are preparing to start, over the next two-week period, the excavation work necessary for Great Triumphal Arch and Military Observation Deck,” he wrote.
asserted
he → make → Arch
“This will be one of the Great Pieces of American Architecture, honoring the history and significance of Arlington Cemetery and befitting the most powerful Capital in the World.”
asserted
This → honor → World
Occupying the sacred space between Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, the Great Triumphal Arch will stand 250 feet tall, two and half times taller than Lincoln’s memorial and big enough to obscure views of the cemetery.
asserted
Arch → occupy → cemetery
And because size matters, it will be nearly 90 feet taller than Paris’ Arc de Triomphe, which was built by order of Napoleon Bonaparte and dedicated to the soldiers who fought and won victories alongside him.
asserted
who → matter → him
Trump has not fought in a war that involves actual combat, though he (and Israel) did start one.
asserted
Israel → fight → one
After six months, it’s still not clear why we’re there or who’s winning, so it’s unlikely that D.C.’s arch-to-be will be dedicated to our glorious victory over Iran.
asserted
arch → ’ → Iran
When CBS News asked who the arch is for, Trump said, “Me.”
asserted
Trump → ask → Me
He’s also said the reason he’s pushed to build the monument is because “something’s supposed to be here.”
asserted
something → say → monument
“They have 57 cities throughout the world that have them,” Trump said.
asserted
Trump → have → them
“We’re the only ones that don’t.”
asserted
that → ’re → ?
He added that Washington has waited 200 years for the structure, adding 75 years to Burgum’s estimate.
asserted
Washington → add → estimate
Two hundred years is a long time to go without a gargantuan, costly arch in D.C.’s Memorial Circle.
asserted
years → go → Circle
Americans are tough and have endured the hardship, and now, we’ll finally get our just deserts.
asserted
we → endure → deserts
The payoff is a vanity project like no other, except maybe Saddam Hussein’s commissioned Victory Arch of swords in Baghdad, or Kim Il Sung’s North Korean Mansu Hill Grand Monument.
asserted
payoff → commission → Baghdad
The Great Triumphal Arch is estimated to cost at least $100 million, with some estimates reaching up to $250 million.
asserted
estimates → estimate → million
A mix of taxpayer funds and private donations is expected to pay for the project, according to administration officials.
uncertain
mix → expect → officials
The aim is to complete construction before the end of the presidential term, making it more difficult for incoming President Gavin Newsom or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to justify knocking it down.
asserted
Newsom → complete → it
The arch joins a list of Trump “beatification” projects.
asserted
arch → join → projects
Most notable is the White House State Ballroom, which is currently being erected where the historic East Wing of the White House used to stand.
asserted
Wing → erect → House
Initially the administration said the ballroom would cost $200 million, none of which would come from taxpayers’ money.
asserted
none → say → money
The Washington Post reported in June that the project would cost $600 million, with more than half coming from taxpayers.
asserted
half → report → taxpayers
If all of us pull together and work 60 hours a week, our taxed wages could help make Trump’s ballroom dream a reality before he terms out.
uncertain
he → pull → us
And the Triumphant Arch won’t pay for itself, or Trump’s vision of topping it with a golden, winged Lady Liberty statue, flanked by two golden eagles.
asserted
Arch → pay → eagles
There’s still time to look for a second job if you’re not making enough at your main gig to prop up The Arch.
asserted
you → ’ → Arch
Not everyone is happy with the fast-tracked building of a gargantuan monument to an unpopular president.
asserted
everyone → track → president
A group of Vietnam War veterans has sued to stop construction, citing the lack of congressional approval for the project and arguing that the arch would obstruct the view between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
asserted
arch → sue → Memorial
The Trump administration has said that it does not need congressional approval, pointing to a 1925 plan authorized by Congress to build columns close to the proposed arch site as proof that they don’t need further legislative oversight.
It’s also been reported that an FAA review of The Arch’s potential impact on flights has not been completed.
asserted
review → say → flights
Representative Donald S. Beyer Jr., a Virginia Democrat whose district includes the nearby Arlington National Cemetery, said in a statement Thursday that Trump and Burgum were “disregarding the risks and rushing this towering monument to Trump’s vanity because they believe Republicans will get crushed in November.”
asserted
Republicans → include → November
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famously said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
asserted
it → say → justice
The arch is not long, but it’s expensive and intrusive, and it bends toward Trump’s vanity.
asserted
it → ’ → vanity
.jpg?trim=0,20,0,20&width=1200&height=800&crop=1200:800)
