By Admire Manzamwa
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Sunday that his proposed 250-foot-tall triumphal arch across the Potomac from the Capitol will also serve as a military complex, housing, storing and deploying large numbers of drones and sniper ammunition from its roof and plaza.
Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, saying the U.S. military “requested” the dual use, though he named no officials. “There will be no facility like this anywhere in the World,” he said.
Trump cited national security concerns, echoing the rationale he has offered for other projects, including the roughly $400 million White House ballroom, but he named no specific threats.
“Out of the 59 top cities and Capitals, Washington, D.C., IS THE ONLY ONE IN THE WORLD THAT DOES NOT HAVE A TRIUMPHAL ARCH, but it will now and, by far, the greatest of them all!” Trump wrote.
The arch remains subject to a pending lawsuit. Three veterans and a historian sued in February, arguing that Congress never authorized the structure, that it would exceed the Lincoln Memorial in size and that it would disrupt the view across Memorial Bridge toward Arlington cemetery.
Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., has called the project illegal and narcissistic, warning of traffic problems and criticizing Interior Secretary Doug Burgum over the proposal.
“Burgum and the Trump Administration are disregarding the risks and rushing this towering monument to Trump’s vanity because they believe Republicans will get crushed in November,” Beyer said.
Burgum announced Sept. 3 that construction would begin within two weeks. In April, Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered the National Park Service to give two weeks’ notice before any construction or demolition at Memorial Circle, where the arch would stand.
The arch is among several Trump-backed projects in the capital, including a granite helipad, the White House ballroom and a new rendition of the Reflecting Pool near the Lincoln Memorial, according to USA Today and Reuters, which reported the announcement Sunday.