WASHINGTON โค- former President โDonald Trump is pursuing plans toโ construct a triumphalโฃ arch near the Washington Monument,โฃ inspired by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and possibly funded โขby donations โexceeding the cost of a โฃrecently renovated White House ballroom.The proposal,โค revealed during a recent dinner with supporters, envisions the arch standing at โคthe Washington end of โคMemorial โBridge, overlooking the Potomac River.
Trump reportedly showcased three different sized models of the archโค at theโ dinner, stating hisโ preference forโข the largest design, which would feature a statue of Lady Liberty โคatop.โฃ He indicated that contributions for the โฃballroom renovation were so โsignificant,funds may remain to finance the arch’s construction,stating,”It’s fully taken careโ of now and,actually,we’ll have moneyโข left over and we’ll useโข that for somethingโฆWe’ll use thatโฃ probably maybe for the arch or something else that โขwill come. But weโฃ love to โฃfix up Washington.”
The idea for aโข grand architectural โaddition to โคthe nation’s capital reportedly stemmed from โคTrump’s โขexperience witnessing a military parade down the Champs-รlysรฉes in Paris eight years ago โฃas a guest of French President emmanuel macron. A similar military parade was held in Washington to โcommemorate โขthe Army’s 250th โคbirthday earlier this year.
The project’s future remains uncertain.The White Houseโ has not yet responded to requests for a โขproject timeline, and it is indeedโ unclear whether โthe proposal has been submitted to the National โCapital Planning Commission, which oversees monument and memorial planning in Washington โขD.C. Former commission chairmanโข L. Preston Bryant Jr.confirmed that federal law mandates โขthe commission’s review and approval before such a project can proceed. Harrison Design, a โlocal firm, is reportedly involved in the project, but a representative did notโฃ respond to requests for comment. โThe White House has pledged to disclose donor information for the ballroom project, but โคhas yet to โขdo so.