President Donald Trump is already leaving his mark on the White House with recently announced renovations. Now, he wants to alter the landscape of Washington, D.C., with a Paris-like arch near the Lincoln Memorial.
During a White House fundraising dinner with wealthy businesspeople on Wednesday, Trump unveiled preliminary plans for the arch.
“It’s going to be really beautiful,” Trump said. “I think it’s going to be fantastic.”
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He did not specify how much the arch might cost. But he said money could be left over from donations to build a $200 million ballroom at the White House. At the dinner, Trump thanked guests for being “so generous in your contributions.”
“It’s fully taken care of now,” he said of the ballroom project, “and, in fact, we’ll have money left over and we’ll use that for something. We’ll use that probably, maybe for the arch or something else that will come. But we love to fix up Washington.”
Trump shared a watercolor rendition of the arch online. It bears a striking resemblance to the Arc De Triomphe in Paris.
White House renovations
The arch is just one of several projects Trump has introduced in Washington. Last month, workers began construction on the ballroom, next to the East Wing of the White House.
Specific details on the layout, design and location of the ballroom have not been released publicly. However, the White House said it will require offices to be moved, including the first lady’s.
The president has also erected new flagpoles, redecorated the Oval Office and paved over the Rose Garden.
Trump also recently unveiled a “Presidential Walk of Fame,” which features portraits of all U.S. presidents except former President Joe Biden. His photo is replaced by a picture of an autopen.
Can Trump build a new DC monument?
It’s unclear if the Trump administration has presented the arch proposal to the National Capital Planning Commission, which is responsible for planning and siting monuments, memorials and statues in D.C. The commission has been closed during the government shutdown.
However, L. Preston Bryant Jr., a former chairman of the commission, told The Associated Press that federal law requires that a project like the proposed arch go through the commission’s review and approval process.
The arch would stand at the Washington end of Memorial Bridge.
