A proposed monument honoring Donald Trump could affect one of America’s most solemn memorial sites. The 250-foot Arch planned near Washington, D.C., has drawn criticism after an analysis suggested its shadow could cross John F. Kennedy’s grave and the eternal flame that honors the assassinated president.
How Trump’s proposed arch could affect John F. Kennedy’s Arlington memorial
The concern centers on Trump’s proposed triumphal arch at Memorial Circle, across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial. Critics have dubbed it the “Arc de Trump,” comparing its design to Paris’ Arc de Triomphe. The administration has also proposed placing an eternal flame atop the monument (via The Daily Beast).
A Washington Post analysis found that the arch could cast a shadow over Kennedy’s memorial for up to nine minutes on 18 days each year. One of those dates could be July 28, Jacqueline Kennedy’s birthday. The report also estimated that the shadow could pass over more than 75,000 graves at Arlington National Cemetery, including those of American service members who fought in multiple wars.
Retired Army Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, whose parents rest at Arlington, called the proposal’s potential impact “a sacrilege.” He warned that families visiting their loved ones’ graves could encounter what he described as a “vanity project.” Kennedy’s widow also expressed a deep personal attachment to the original flame, saying after his assassination, “I care about that flame.”
Trump’s other decisions involving Kennedy’s legacy have also drawn scrutiny. He cleared Jacqueline Kennedy’s garden on the White House’s South Lawn to accommodate a new ballroom and put his own name on the Kennedy Center. A federal judge subsequently halted the center’s renaming, noting that Congress had created the institution to honor Kennedy.
The White House argues the arch would improve the visitor experience and will become the “most iconic landmark not only in Washington, D.C., but throughout the world.“ The Interior Department disputed the newspaper’s findings, calling it “flawed as their leftist reporting.”
