President Donald Trump says that the 250-foot triumphal arch he wants to build will be dedicated to military veterans.
“Soon, we’re going to dedicate a magnificent triumphal arch to our veterans,” he said at Arlington National Cemetery on Nov. 11 while commemorating Veterans Day.
“And that’s in honor of our great veterans and our great militaries.
“They’ve been waiting for it for 200 years.”
A federal judge temporarily halted the Trump administration’s construction proposal for the triumphal arch in the District of Columbia on Nov. 5, hours after a planning commission had cleared the project.
The National Capital Planning Commission, the federal agency that oversees development in the Washington area, approved the structure Nov. 5 in an 8–4 vote. Officials indicated work could start as early as Nov. 5.
The plan has already drawn two separate lawsuits that courts have consolidated into a single case.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a two-page order on Nov. 6 that prohibited any construction-related activity for the next two weeks.
The arch’s proposed position near Arlington National Cemetery has already drawn several lawsuits, including one from members of the Kennedy family.
Nine members of the Kennedy family filed suit on Nov. 10 seeking to stop Trump’s planned arch, arguing that the structure would cast shadows across their relatives’ graves at Arlington National Cemetery. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did not join in the suit.
The Federal Aviation Administration formally approved the arch on Sept. 18, determining that it would not pose a hazard to air traffic at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The agency only required that the arch include safety lighting because of the structure’s proximity to flight paths.
Trump first announced the arch in October 2025 as part of his effort to revitalize and beautify Washington, and commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence.
The proposed monument would include a mezzanine level at 166 feet, a 24-foot-high observation deck, and a 60-foot statue of Lady Liberty on the top. The structure, which is intended to mark America’s 250th anniversary, would prominently display the inscriptions “One Nation Under God” and “Liberty and Justice for All.” It was inspired by the 164-foot-high Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
The arch is proposed for Columbia Island, a man-made island overseen by the National Park Service at the western end of Arlington Memorial Bridge on the Virginia side of the Potomac River. The bridge connects the island to the Lincoln Memorial.
At 250 feet, the structure would stand significantly taller than the Lincoln Memorial (99 feet) and less than half the height of the Washington Monument.
In September, Trump said the arch would also function as a military facility, able to store and deploy drones and position snipers.
Earlier challenges include a lawsuit filed by Vietnam War veterans who argued the project would disrupt military burials and alter the character of Arlington National Cemetery. Local officials in the District of Columbia and Virginia have also sought court intervention over traffic and environmental impacts.
Work on the project is not projected to be completed until mid-2029 at the earliest.
Jackson Richman and Aldgra Fredly contributed to this report.
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