
In an interview with POLITICO, President Trump said construction of the Triumphal Arch will begin “sometime in the next two months.”
“It hasn’t started yet. It starts sometime in the next two months. It’ll be great. Everyone loves it,” Trump told the outlet.
“They love the ballroom too. But they love the Triumphal Arch,” he added.
Politico: Donald Trump says that construction of his Triumphal Arch is expected to begin “sometime in the next two months.” pic.twitter.com/wKWAn95pHd
— OSZ (@OpenSourceZone) December 31, 2025
POLITICO shared more:
The proposed structure — modeled loosely on European victory monuments — is one of several high-profile projects Trump has personally championed as part of the semiquincentennial celebrations, a sprawling effort expected to include national and local events across the country.
The president has at times displayed a model of the proposed arch in recent months. There have been plans to build it by the Lincoln Monument, on the other end of a bridge leading to Arlington National Ceremony.
Trump has framed the project as a patriotic landmark meant to honor American history and military service, though critics have raised questions about cost, aesthetics and whether the executive branch has the authority to unilaterally move forward with such construction in Washington.
Trump first detailed the plans for a Triumphal Arch in Washington, D.C. in October.
On Trump’s desk in the Oval Office today was a plan for a triumphal arch on the other side of the river from the Lincoln Memorial pic.twitter.com/PyulIhlmHE
— Danny Kemp (@dannyctkemp) October 9, 2025
The Hill noted:
He told donors at a dinner the arch would be built along the Arlington Memorial Bridge.
“It’s going to be really beautiful. I think it’s going to be fantastic,” Trump said at the time, holding up models of the arch to show attendees. “There’s a rendering of what it will look like. You have three sizes.”
“Whichever one would look good. I happen to think the large one,” he added.
The proposed monument is reminiscent of France’s Arc de Triomphe located in Paris.
The president is overseeing a series of renovations and construction projects in Washington, which have become a focal point of his second administration. The White House is undergoing construction, including the building of a new ballroom and updates to the Rose Garden and Palm Room.
The president has also led an overhaul of the Kennedy Center in D.C., replacing board members with allies who named Trump as chair of the panel and then voted to rename the center the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.