New designs were released Friday for the towering “Arch of Triumph” that President Donald Trump wants to build near Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial.
In what is depicted as a 250-foot arch at Memorial Circle next to the Arlington Memorial Bridge — the roundabout near the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery — renderings show the arch with the inscription “One Nation Under God” and at its apex a golden statue of Lady Liberty with outstretched golden wings.
Four golden lions sit at each corner of the arch’s base.
It will be more than twice as tall as the 99-foot-tall Lincoln Memorial.
Trump has said he wants it to be the largest arch in the world, much taller than the 164-foot Arc de Triomphe in Paris, for example.
“I would like it to be the biggest ever,” Trump said in January. “We are the largest and strongest country.”
On Friday, he posted on his social media platform that the arch would be the “greatest and most beautiful” structures “anywhere in the world.”
“This will be a wonderful addition to the Washington, D.C., area for all Americans to enjoy for many decades to come!” He said.
Artistic renderings and diagrams of President Donald Trump’s new Arc de Triomphe commissioned by the US Commission of Fine Arts to be built in Washington.
AP Photo/John Elswick
He recently showed off a sketch at the White House on Easter Monday.
The offers come as the Trump administration this week reached a compromise with a group of veterans who sued to block the arch’s construction, agreeing to notify the public at least two weeks before work on the project begins in exchange for stopping the lawsuit, according to court filings.
The agreement bars a legal challenge for now, though the veterans group could resume litigation if the Trump administration fails to follow due process for the project.
A coalition of Democratic lawmakers, led by Rep. Jared Huffman of California and Sen. Angus King of Maine, opposed Trump’s proposed arch earlier this year by filing an amicus brief in federal court, arguing that the project violates the Memorial Acts Act and requires congressional approval.
A National Endowment for the Humanities spending plan released by the administration this week also revealed that taxpayer money will partially pay for the project.
The spending plan, approved by the Office of Budget and Management in September, says $2 million in “special initiatives funds” and $13 million in matching grants are earmarked for the arch.
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