DICTATOR CHIC

Public Launches Unprecedented Barrage Against Trump’s ‘Grotesque’ Arch

A new government report has laid bare the scale of the project—and the fierce opposition it faces.

President Donald Trump’s proposed giant arch has drawn more than 100,000 public comments describing the vanity project as “garish,” “grotesque,” “tacky,” and “authoritarian”.

A new National Park Service assessment has laid bare the scale of the project—and the torrent of opposition it faces as the 80-year-old president tries to remake Washington in his own image.

Some of the sharpest objections concerned the impact on nearby Arlington National Cemetery, the sacred burial ground for fallen soldiers from across American history.

One woman warned the 250-foot arch would “desecrate the solemnity of the Arlington Cemetery as a hallowed place of repose for those military members and their families.”

Another person criticized the fact that triumphal arches signify victory and conquest, whereas the Lincoln-Arlington corridor represents “service and sacrifice.”

And one commentator simply urged: “Please shut down this asinine assault on America. We don’t need or want an arch, a ballroom, or any of the other tributes he has put forward to stroke his ego. No! No! No!”

But the more damaging assessment arguably came from the government itself.

In a new report, the National Park Service concluded that the project would have “adverse effects” on several historic landmarks because of changes to space, land use, vegetation, and views.

The damage would be particularly concentrated around Memorial Circle, where the arch will be built near the cemetery on one side and the Lincoln Memorial on the other.

But the project would also affect the National Mall, the U.S. Capitol, the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, the Georgetown Historic District, the Old Naval Observatory, the Key Bridge, and the National Cathedral, the report says.

The 133-page assessment also makes clear that the Arch is more like a building, with five levels, an exterior spanning 9,812 square feet, and an observation deck situated 160 feet above the ground.

Visitors would reach the top via elevators and spiral staircases after passing through airport-style security screening.

KNOCK DOWN OFFER

Trump Threatens to Crush Kennedy Center If Name Is Removed

Farrah Tomazin

But the structure is so high that people standing on it could be visible from Arlington National Cemetery, which conducts about 30 funeral services each day.

What’s more, the project would require foundations drilled about 71 feet into the ground, where the NPS admits there is a “moderate to high sensitivity” for intact archaeological resources. Those resources could include buried landscapes dating back to 10,000 B.C.

Play Video

Despite all this, Trump is determined to make his project a reality.

Just as Napoleon Bonaparte had the Arc de Triomphe and Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang had the Great Wall, Trump has long wanted his own giant structure in the capital as part of his legacy.

The idea is modeled on the iconic arch in Paris, but would dwarf that version, which is only 164 feet tall.

ME! ME! ME!

Trump Unveils Tacky New Details on Vanity Project

Farrah Tomazin

According to Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, a new book by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, Trump initially considered adding a giant fist to the top of the structure.

This, according to the book, would represent the defiant pose he struck in the immediate aftermath of an assassination attempt against him in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024.

The president was also so interested in an observation deck that, according to the book, he called French President Emmanuel Macron for his opinion.

“Do you think they’d throw bottles? Maybe we should have a viewing platform,” he reportedly asked Macron.

“You can see Arlington Cemetery, it’s a great view. I don’t know. It’s dangerous. You can jump off it,” Trump added. “What do you think, Emmanuel? Do people jump off it? No?”

The project was eventually unveiled by the president last October during a dinner party for billionaires donating to his White House ballroom.

Asked at the time who it would be built for, Trump was unequivocal: “Me,” he replied.

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Farrah TomazinPolitical Correspondent

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.