Former President Donald Trump announced Sunday that his ambitious plan for a colossal arch, intended to stand between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, would be transformed into a "top grade military complex." This revamped design would reportedly house drones, deploy snipers from its roof and plaza, and store substantial quantities of ammunition.
This revelation underscores a recurring theme in Trump's recent initiatives to enhance Washington D.C.'s landscape and White House facilities. He has consistently argued for a defensive component, notably labeling a proposed new White House ballroom as a "military complex" vital for national security.
The Pentagon, when queried, stated it had no further information beyond the President's public remarks.
The arch project itself, much like other Trump-backed ventures, is currently embroiled in legal battles. Despite receiving preliminary approval from the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, whose members were appointed by Trump, a lawsuit has been filed by a coalition of three veterans and an architectural historian. They contend that the project requires explicit congressional authorization to proceed.
Nicolas Sansone, an attorney representing the litigants, emphasized on Sunday, "The President's belated efforts to manufacture a national security justification for this project do nothing to cure its fundamental illegality. Congress has not authorized the arch, and unless and until Congress does so, the project should not be permitted to move forward."
In a social media post, the Republican president claimed that the military had made a "strong request" to convert the planned 250-foot-tall (76-meter) memorial arch "into a top grade Military Complex/Triumphal Arch, to house, store, and have the rapid ability to use large numbers of drones, plus Snipers, on both the roof and plaza areas, and additionally have and hold large quantities of sniper ammunition in storage."
The proposed location for the arch is a traffic circle adjacent to Memorial Bridge, a critical connector between Washington D.C. and northern Virginia. This proximity raised concerns from Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., who represents the area. Beyer took to X (formerly Twitter) to voice his opposition, stating, "Putting a drone launching site directly in the landing path for DCA is a stupid, dangerous, and unworkable idea. Trump clearly expects to lose a lawsuit and therefore wants to set up a pretext to argue that the arch is tied to national security. Which is obviously idiotic."
This arch is one of several significant projects Trump is pursuing to leave his mark on the nation's capital. Other notable initiatives include the White House ballroom, the renaming and renovation of the Kennedy Center, the refurbishment of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, and the rebuilding of a golf course in East Potomac Park, which could limit public access to recreational paths.
While groundbreaking for the arch was initially slated for this month, the project still awaits final approval from the National Capital Planning Commission. The commission had greenlit the site and preliminary plans in July and is expected to re-evaluate the matter this fall.
A model of President Donald Trump's proposed arch to commemorate the country's 250th anniversary is seen next to models of the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol Building on a table at a public meeting of the Commission of Fine Arts on April 16, 2026 in Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik | Getty Images
