Details of the President's Proposed Arc de Trump Monument
President Donald Trump wants to add to the Washington, D.C. skyline with a new monument named after him. Here are the details of the proposed "Arc de Trump."
Details of the Proposed Arc de Trump
According to a new report from Axios, President Trump is considering greenlighting a new construction project for the nation's capital. The proposed Arc de Trump would come at a cost of about $100 million, rising higher in the sky than the Lincoln Memorial.
The proposed monument will follow a similar design to the Arc de Triomphe monument located in Paris. Axios is reporting that the project would be paid for through a fundraising campaign. A source close to the president told Axios that he wants a large gold and white arch.
Additional reporting from the BBC detailed that the arch would commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. in 2026. The proposed monument would be built in the middle of the roundabout on Memorial Circle. This location would put it on the other side of the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial, connecting the U.S. Capitol building to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The arch would face the White House.
Trump first floated the idea of the Arc de Trump while meeting with donors and supporters in October. The president told this group that other people have commented that there should be a structure in the empty circle.
The president presented mockups of the proposed monument to give donors an idea of its size and scope. The monument would be adorned with marble eagles and a gold statue of Lady Liberty standing in the middle. The only difference between the mockups that Trump showed off was the size. The largest of the three models towered over the Lincoln Memorial.
CNN confirmed that a source within the White House said that the monument was the president's idea. The anonymous source said that Trump came up with the design on his own.
The White House has not confirmed the details of the design, the specific dollar cost, nor a timeline for construction. Axios is reporting that Trump has raised about $1.9 billion to help pay for the arch and other construction plans.
Monument Joins List of Other Trump Construction Projects
In addition to the proposed monument, the donations have also been earmarked to pay for a 90,000 square foot ballroom slated to go in on the East Wing of the White House. This project is already a controversial endeavor. Americans were shocked by the images coming out of Washington, D.C. in October when a wrecking ball brought down a large section of the East Wing to make room for the ballroom.
Construction is continuing on the ballroom even though the federal government has been shut down for over a month. The White House said that construction can continue since it is a privately funded project. Although the Trump administration has not released the total cost of the ballroom, reports suggest that the construction will cost about $200 million.
Official renderings of the ballroom include gold-encrusted chandeliers, ornately decorated ceilings, massive arched windows, and towering Greek Corinthian columns. The White House said that the new ballroom will have a capacity to host 650 guests. The current hosting space, the East Room, has a capacity of about 200. The official statement about the ballroom said that it will be complete before Trump leaves office.
The president has also made several updates to the famous Rose Garden lawn, rebranding this part of the White House as "The Rose Garden Club at the White House." Those close to Trump say that he is not slowing down in his desire to add his mark on the White House and Washington, D.C. More fundraising efforts are underway in an effort to pay for these projects during this second term in office.
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