‘Gonzo Bonkers’: Trump's Plan to Militarize Triumphal Arch Sparks Pushback
The plan has drawn federal review delays as preservationists, safety experts and lawmakers question storing drones, snipers and ammunition there.
- On Sunday, President Donald Trump announced plans to transform his proposed 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery into a "military complex" housing drones, snipers, and ammunition.
- Trump claimed the militarization was necessary for national security, though critics argue the designation serves as a pretext to bypass Congressional opposition to the arch's aesthetic impact on the capital.
- Virginia Congressman Don Beyer called the plan "stupid, dangerous, and unworkable," citing risks to National Airport just 3,000 feet away and potential explosions from ammunition storage near busy roads.
- Geologists conducted soil testing last Thursday under a court order requiring 48 hours' notice before major work begins, while preservationists stated they cannot proceed with federal reviews until the administration clarifies the arch's purpose.
- The arch's 250-foot height would obscure sightlines between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, disrupting the capital's historic landscape that critics describe as sacred ground.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Trump’s Arch Not Expected to Feature Drones and Snipers
“Trump administration officials said Tuesday that they were unaware of specific plans to convert President Donald Trump’s planned triumphal arch into a military complex, more than a week after Trump announced plans to put snipers, drones and ammunition at the site,” the Washington Post reports.
The Arc de Trump
What’s wrong with Trump’s proposed triumphal arch? First is the aesthetic pomposity of the planned arch. It appears classical in design, echoing Rome’s Arch of Titus and Paris’s Arc de Triomphe. But in scale, ornamentation, and symmetry it is anything but. Like the president’s ballroom, it is a cartoonish, gilded version of what the form is meant to convey—the 250th anniversary of the nation’s birth with the Declaration of Independence. Indeed, …
‘Gonzo bonkers’: Trump's plan to militarize triumphal arch sparks pushback
Lawmakers and analysts alike are perplexed by President Trump’s surprise declaration that his proposed triumphal arch will house “a top-grade military complex” in addition to tourist attractions. Trump over the weekend claimed that the structure, to be built between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial, will “house, store, and have the rapid ability to [...]
The surreal reason this national monument is now under guard
Apart from the absurdity of Donald Trump’s suddenly announced desire to turn a self-aggrandizing triumphal arch in Washington into a bristling military complex, the announcement itself went a long way towards explaining why Trump-positive news is so hollow a call. Of course, the announcement that the 250-foot arch overshadowing the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington Cemetery would now house “drones and snipers” to qualify as a national security prop…
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