RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from NPR News — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 2 sources
President Trump stands near models of his arch during an October 2025 event with White House ballroom donors. The administration's proposed design and location for the structure have changed little since then. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
There's widespread opposition to the 250-foot arch President Trump wants to build near the National Mall, which would tower over a historic area already packed with monuments .
This week, even Trump's own administration raised concerns. The National Park Service released a document listing 37 historic properties that it says would be adversely affected by the construction of an arch in Memorial Circle, a traffic roundabout just below Arlington National Cemetery.
"The significance of these properties derives not only from their individual architectural or commemorative importance, but also from their spatial, visual, symbolic, and ceremonial interrelationships," reads the report.
National Critics say adding Trump's arch to D.C. would take something away: the view The National Park Service findings were released as part of an ongoing review process known as Section 106 . Under this section of the National Historic Preservation Act, federal agencies must evaluate the impact their actions could have on any historic properties and try to minimize harm.
The assessment finds that an arch would interfere with dozens of historic sites in the area, particularly the key connection between the Lincoln Monument and Arlington House, the former home of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
"The bridge alignment and associated ceremonial landscape were intended to physically and symbolically unite North and South through a coordinated monumental composition extending across the Potomac River," the report reads.
The traffic circle where the arch would sit is right between the two landmarks. Critics say it would not only interfere with that view, but with the solemn atmosphere near the cemetery itself.
A group of Vietnam War veterans has already sued to stop the arch's construction, stating that it would be a visual affront and needs congressional approval, which Trump denies and has not sought.
The Trump administration wants to build its arch in Memorial Circle, a traffic island on the bridge between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP hide caption
The White House insists that Memorial Circle is an ideal place to locate the arch. In an email to NPR, it called the arch a "fitting addition to the monumental axis between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House." The administration has repeatedly stated that the arch will "enhance the visitor experience at Arlington National Cemetery."
This insistence frustrates Greg Werkheiser of the law firm, Cultural Heritage Partners, which is handling several lawsuits against the Trump administration's other D.C. construction projects.
"It's as if the president is saying: 'Only if I jam my arch between Arlington Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial and make it tower over everything else in the city will it be noticed,'" he said.
National Trump's arch clears another hurdle, setting up a big debate: Do height limits apply? Preservationists say there are places in Washington, D.C., where an arch this size would impact far fewer historic properties.
"I think people are opposed to the absurdity of locating an arch this size and of this design in the middle of what is almost a civil sacred landscape," Werkheiser said. "I think had he chosen an alternative, not only would some of the folks who are opponents now not be opponents, but I think they would be supporters."
The National Park Service and the Department of the Interior did not answer NPR's questions about whether other locations were or are being considered. But the department downplayed critics' concerns about adverse effects.
"The Arch will offer stunning views of Washington, D.C. from its observation deck, and the Arch itself will be visible from other historic properties, adding a monumental structure to the viewshed in a location that is currently a barren piece of grass," an Interior Department spokesperson told NPR in an email.
Critics say the lack of discussion about alternative locations is just one flaw in a review process they see as happening both too quickly and too late.
The Section 106 review only started in June, after the arch had already received final design approval from the first of two federal arts commissions reviewing it. That sequence of events is unusual, said Ed Stierli, the vice president of government affairs at the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association.
"We're talking … not a whole lot of transparency, not even a meeting of the consulting parties has genuinely taken place," Stierli said. "And unfortunately, as this continues, it feels like more of a box-checking than an actual, legitimate process."
The Trump administration's proposal for the arch includes this map, showing how Memorial Circle is situated between multiple historic landmarks. Harrison Design/National Capital Planning Commission hide caption
Typically, conversations about new memorials and monuments start with the question of where to put them.
"Even looking at some of the more recent memorials — like the Women's Suffrage National Monument that's still in the planning process — they weigh the pros and cons," Stierli said. "And they have to evaluate the alternatives, as well as what the impact is for visitors, before any of these are cited."
He said a proposal for any sort of project in Memorial Circle deserves careful scrutiny because of the location's significance and symbolism.
National A few people have played a big role in 'jamming through' Trump's arch, critics say "Anything that would be built there would be controversial," Stierli said. "But I think what makes this so controversial is the pure scale … We're talking about one of the largest monuments to ever be built in Washington...
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.