WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump unveiled plans on April 10, 2026, for a new triumphal arch to be built in Washington, D.C., describing it as a monument the capital has lacked for two centuries. The proposed 250-foot structure would be erected between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, within a traffic circle connecting the District of Columbia with northern Virginia.

The U.S. Commission on Fine Arts released a 12-page plan detailing the specifications for the arch, which would rise 250 feet (76.2 meters) from its base to the tip of a winged figure's torch. At that height, the monument would stand more than two and a half times taller than the nearby Lincoln Memorial, which measures 99 feet (30.2 meters) tall.

The commission's plan described a design centered on a towering winged figure holding a torch and wearing a crown reminiscent of the Statue of Liberty. Two eagles would flank the central figure, and four gilded lions would stand guard at the base of the structure. The inscriptions "One Nation Under God" and "Liberty and Justice for All" would appear in gold lettering atop either side of the arch, according to the plan.

Trump said the nation's capital first sought such a monument 200 years ago. "It was interrupted by a thing called the Civil War, and so it never got built. Then, they almost built something in 1902, but it never happened," the president said. He also said that major cities around the world have triumphal arches and that Washington is the only one without one. Trump said he wants to build the arch near the Lincoln Memorial.

The proposed arch is one of several architectural projects Trump is pursuing during his second term in office. He is constructing a large ballroom at the White House and has made changes to the Oval Office. The president also converted the Rose Garden into a stone-covered patio. In addition, Trump has proposed replacing the city's grasses, signage, and street medians as part of a broader effort to update the appearance of the nation's capital.