A 250-foot monument on an island — built 20 hours a day until it's done
Twenty hours a day, every day, for up to three years — the National Park Service (NPS) is planning an unprecedented construction blitz to erect President Donald Trump's Triumphal Arch before his presidency ends. The 250-foot-high monument would rise on Memorial Circle, a human-made island on the Virginia side of the Potomac River at the end of Memorial Bridge, directly in the sightline between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House.
The aggressive schedule, outlined in newly released planning documents, envisions year-round work — including nights and holidays — to meet a tight 2–3 year deadline. Multiple cranes up to 320 feet tall would loom over the site, which sits in a sensitive flight path for Reagan National Airport.
The arch will be the GREATEST and MOST BEAUTIFUL Triumphal Arch, anywhere in the World — a wonderful addition to the Washington D.C. area for all Americans to enjoy for many decades to come!Donald Trump, President of the United StatesMore quotes from Donald Trump →
A monument to Trump — or a scar on the National Mall?
The arch's design is unapologetically grandiose. Gilded eagles flank a Lady Liberty-like statue holding a torch at the pinnacle; four gilded lions guard the base. Inscribed in gold lettering across the top: “One Nation Under God” and “Liberty and Justice for All.” At 250 feet, the arch would dwarf the 99-foot Lincoln Memorial and reach nearly half the height of the Washington Monument.
The project has already triggered a federal lawsuit. A group of veterans and a historian filed suit to block construction, arguing the arch would permanently destroy the historic sightline from Arlington House across the Potomac to the Lincoln Memorial — a vista protected by century-old preservation laws.
Trump's own commission approved the concept
In April 2026, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts voted to approve the arch's concept design. All seven commissioners were appointed by Trump. One commissioner suggested removing the Lady Liberty statue and eagles to reduce the structure's height, but that change has not been finalized. A final vote on an updated design is still pending.
Meanwhile, the NPS is accepting public comments on the project's environmental assessment until June 15 — even as the 20-hour construction plan signals that the administration intends to push ahead regardless.
No cost estimate has been released, but officials say a mix of taxpayer and private funds would finance the construction. The arch is one of several projects — including a White House ballroom and a plan to paint the Eisenhower Executive Office Building white — that Trump is pursuing to permanently reshape the federal core of Washington.