The Arch Is Atrocious
Trump’s colossal monument would mar Washington’s skyline and disrupt one of its most sacred spaces.
TL;DR
- A proposed 250-foot-high triumphal arch by President Trump near the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery is criticized for its potential to diminish the significance of these sites.
- Critics argue the arch, featuring gilded statuary and patriotic inscriptions, would impose a crass assertion of victory, interfering with the symbolic bond between Lincoln, the war dead, and the nation's democratic government.
- The arch's placement at Memorial Circle could block sightlines and reframe the contemplative space between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House, which symbolizes reconciliation.
- Opponents draw parallels between Trump's rhetoric and historical accounts of sacrifice, contrasting his dismissive comments about fallen soldiers with the profound respect embodied by Lincoln and the war dead.
- Concerns are raised that the arch, inspired by Napoleon's Arc de Triomphe, represents a historically insecure and jingoistic form of monumental architecture, unlike the more modest and respectful American tradition of monuments.
- The project faces a lawsuit from Vietnam War veterans and opposition from commissions, with some opponents vowing to protest its construction.