Memorial Circle Arch

Memorial Circle Arch

Coordinates	38°53′8″N77°3′36″W / 38.88556°N 77.06000°W / 38.88556; -77.06000
Type	Triumphal arch

A proposed triumphal arch celebrating the United States Semiquincentennial would be located on Columbia Island in Washington, D.C. The site is a traffic circle on Memorial Drive between the end of the Arlington Memorial Bridge and Arlington National Cemetery named Memorial Circle. It is directly across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial at the west end of the National Mall. ^{[1] [2]} Proposed by President Donald Trump, the arch has been widely dubbed in media as the "Arc de Trump". ^{[2] [1]}

Development

President Donald Trump had a model of the arch on the Resolute Desk as seen in a photograph taken by a reporter on October 9, 2025, but no official proposal was announced then. On October 15, 2025, guests were shown the model at a dinner for donors to the ballroom expansion to the White House. ^[3] Construction of the arch celebrating America's 250th anniversary would be funded by money left over from the ballroom expansion. ^[2] The large neoclassical arch would be surmounted by two eagles and a golden angel. ^[4] In an article in The American Mind titled "Washington Needs an Arch", art critic Catesby Leigh had detailed the impact that an arch would have on the axis of monuments on the National Mall. ^[5]

References

1. Diamond, Dan (October 10, 2025). "Trump eyes a triumphal arch to mark America's 250th anniversary". The Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286.
2. Saad, Nardine (October 16, 2025). "What we know about White House plans for an 'Arc de Trump'". BBC News. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
3. Kanno-Youngs, Zolan (October 16, 2025). "Trump Hosts Dinner for Wealthy Donors to White House Ballroom". The New York Times.
4. Bickerton, James (October 10, 2025). "Proposed Trump monument next to Lincoln Memorial seen in White House photos". Newsweek.
5. Leigh, Catesby (April 2, 2025). "Washington Needs an Arch". The American Mind. Retrieved October 11, 2025.