Trump arch website launches days after court pause
A new site details the 250-foot gold and granite structure planned between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, despite a temporary restraining order.
By Sarah Reynolds ·
The White House launched a dedicated website for the president's proposed memorial arch on Friday.
The site debuted shortly after U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a temporary restraining order on Thursday. That order blocks work on the construction site for 14 days. The pause follows a vote by a federal planning commission to approve the project. The commission includes several of the president's allies.
The structure is designated as the United States Military Triumphal Arch. It will stand 250 feet tall, or 76 meters. The design calls for gold ornamentation and gray granite. The arch is planned for the area between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
The website displays bird's-eye views of the proposal from multiple angles. It lists the inscriptions that will appear on the structure. One side will read "One Nation Under God." The other side will display "Golden Age of America." The top of the arch features a golden cherub holding a flaming torch. The design includes gold doors with sculpted panels at the base.
Cost details are absent from the site. Some earlier estimates placed the price tag at up to $100 million. The page does not explain how the project will be funded. It does note that the arch will include an event space accessible by elevators and stairs.
The site describes the interior of the massive columns. It states that these areas will store munitions. Specific zones on the pedestal and observation deck are set aside for snipers and countersnipers. The text mentions "provisions for a sniper nest." An open ground area at the base is designed for launching drones and other homeland security assets.
The website uses the phrase "Highly Secretive" in capital letters. It describes the structure as "Top Level and Lethal." It claims the design is unlike anything previously seen in the country. The site includes a quote from the president calling it the "greatest and most beautiful triumphal arch, anywhere in the world."
The visual style of the site mirrors the aesthetic of the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The word "Triumph" appears in gold cursive script. This matches the typeface used in the president's Florida home. Similar design elements have been added to the White House during recent renovations.
The launch occurs as the president's party loses control of Congress in the midterm elections. Democrats are set to take control in January. This shift promises more scrutiny for the administration's renovation projects. Those projects include the arch, a White House ballroom, a golf course remake, and the naming of the Kennedy Center.
The website repeats the president's claim that Washington has wanted a structure like the Paris Arc de Triomphe for centuries. The president has previously suggested the arch might be called the "Arc de Trump." The site features a photo of the president alongside these claims.
