Trump's Plans to Build an 'Arc de Trump' Are in Line With a Lifelong Obsession
There's plenty we still don't know about the arch, like how long it will take to build, or even exactly what it will look like.
Published Oct. 17 2025, 10:05 a.m. ET
Long before he was one of the defining figures in the history of American politics, Donald Trump was a real estate man. How successful he was in that business is up for debate, but what's always been clear about Trump is that he likes to build things.
During his second term in office, he's already built a new ballroom in the White House and has also remodeled both the Rose Garden and the Oval Office. Now, Trump has announced plans to build a new arch in Washington, which is being referred to as the "Arc de Trump." Many want to know why he's decided to build it. Here's what we know.
Why is Trump building an arch?
President Trump has announced that he wants to build a triumphal arch across from the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall. According to the BBC, Trump told donors that his desire to build the arch stems chiefly from a feeling that there's something missing from the Mall as it is.
"Every time somebody rides over that beautiful bridge to the Lincoln Memorial, they literally say something is supposed to be here. We have versions of it… This is a mock-up," he said, sharing designs.
Trump apparently wants the arch to be based on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and said it would welcome people to the nation's capital as they leave Arlington National Cemetery and cross the Memorial Bridge. He also said that the ballroom he built was fully financed, and some of the leftover money would go to building out this arch. It's unclear when construction would start, how long it would take, and where any more funding might come from.
Trump did not get into his motivations for building the structure other than to explain that he felt something was missing from the Mall. Given his history in real estate, though, and what we know about his ego, it seems fair to say that Trump might have decided to build the arch in part to cement his own legacy in the city. In creating a monument that would stand near Lincoln's, Trump would be helping to establish himself as a foundational figure in American history.
Plans for the arch are still taking shape.
The plans for Trump's arch are very much still taking shape. It seems like the current plan is for the structure to be built across the Potomac River on federal land. Building these kinds of monuments is more complicated than it might seem, though, and historically, it has also required the approval of Congress.
Federal law actually prohibits the construction of new monuments on the National Mall, which seems like it might be where Trump is hoping to build. There are spots that allow for new memorials, but the process to build them takes years, and might not even be complete before Trump leaves office in 2029. Still, it seems he's determined to march ahead.