Trump's 'Triumphal Arch' under review Thursday after controversial renderings revealed
FULL PRESS BRIEFING: White House reveals Triumphal Arch rendering | April 15, 2026
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt briefs reporters and responds to questions on the Trump administration's policy agenda. She is joined by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler to discuss tax policy.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Donald Trump's proposal for a 250-foot "Triumphal Arch" has come under fire, and now it has to face federal review.
What we know:
The Commission of Fine Arts, which has several Trump appointees, will consider the president's plan to build the massive arch on Thursday.
The monument, dubbed the "Triumphal Arch," would be located in Memorial Circle, a traffic roundabout near Arlington National Cemetery that leads into downtown D.C.
The backstory:
Renderings released earlier this month showed a large white structure with a golden inscription that will read "One Nation Under God," topped with a winged Lady Liberty statue and flanked on both sides of the statue’s base will be four golden lions.
The 250-foot arch would be more than double the height of the Lincoln Memorial.
Renderings revealed for Trump’s 250-foot Triumphal Arch
Official design renderings for the president’s controversial 250-foot arch were shared on Friday.
What they're saying:
First announced in October 2025, the president acknowledged that he’d like the arch to "be the biggest of all."
"The most beautiful in the world," Trump told reporters earlier this year.
The president wanted the giant structure to be reminiscent of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, which was built to honor those who fought for France during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars.
The other side:
Virginia Rep. Don Beyer, is one of many who have blasted the arch project as both unnecessary and too tall.
"This isn’t about America’s 250th or honoring our veterans," Beyer said. "It’s about Donald Trump’s ego —and we’re going to stop it."
Trump plans to use 'magic' white paint to cover White House office building
President Donald Trump is proposing more transformations for the nation's capital. However, this time, experts are warning against his design choice.
Big picture view:
Trump appears to be determined to leave his mark on the nation's capital, proposing and completing several projects during his second term.
In addition to the 250-foot Triumphal Arch, the president is building a $400 million ballroom after demolishing the White House’s East Wing and closing the Kennedy Center for a two-year renovation. He also demolished the Rose Garden and installed a new stone patio, installed a Walk of Fame featuring portraits of past presidents along the Colonnade, installed massive flagpoles on the north and south lawns, and substantially overhauled the Oval Office.
The president's most recent proposal was to paint the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which sits across from the West Wing, making it bright white.