President Donald Trump’s push for a triumphal arch in the nation’s capital cleared a major hurdle on Thursday. A federal planning panel approved the monument over loud public objections. The arch would rise near Arlington National Cemetery, and critics have already taken the fight to court.
Donald Trump’s triumphal arch gets NCPC’s approval
The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) backed the triumphal arch by an 8-4 margin. Commissioners reached their decision after a marathon session of nearly nine hours. During this time, they heard more than 100 public comments. Most speakers urged them to say no.
Opponents argued that the monument insults the service members and families connected to Arlington. Others called it a vanity project steered by Donald Trump. Some warned that the structure could endanger local airspace, and one speaker recalled the 2025 midair collision over the Potomac River that killed 67 people. A handful of callers joined from a protest on the Memorial Bridge, with a red “X” drawn over the arch in their video backgrounds.
Former CIA analyst Holly Fletcher called the design “pointless” and “tasteless.” Ed Sterling of the National Parks Conservation Association asked why the panel could “give final approval to a structure that doesn’t even have a clear purpose?” He also said reviews under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act had been “cut short.”
Moreover, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) opened the congressional criticism. He pointed out that Congress never signed off on the arch and declared that the U.S. is a “nation of laws, not kings or kangaroo commissions.”
NCPC chair Mark Paoletta fired back, telling Huffman he was “wrong.” Paoletta defended the administration’s reliance on a 1925 law that created the Arlington Memorial Bridge Commission. Huffman answered that old records do not equal congressional authorization, and he urged the administration to make that case before a judge. Republican Reps. Andrew Clyde of Georgia and Brian Mast of Florida spoke in support of the arch (via The Hill).
