A second federal commission reviewing President Donald Trump’s plan to build a 250-foot arch in Washington with a 60-foot-tall gilded, winged Lady Liberty figure has been deluged with negative comments from the public.
As the National Capital Planning Commission met to discuss the application for the project on June 4, more than 1,696 comments were shared on the commission’s website. An analysis of the public comments using AI by USA TODAY found that more than 99% of the comments were negative.
The proposed arch will be at Memorial Circle, a traffic circle between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
“Please don’t build this monstrous vanity project to please Trump. No one wants it or his billion dollar ballroom,” wrote Jane Allison in an email posted on the commission’s website. “He is destroying the beautiful city of Washington, DC with monuments to himself. The people used to have a say in this. Trump doesn’t get to spend taxpayer money and junk up the city any way he wants.”
Last month, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, whose members were appointed by Trump, voted to approve the design for the “Triumphal Arch” at Memorial Circle near Arlington National Cemetery, as the president seeks to put his stamp on the nation’s capital through various construction projects, including a ballroom in the White House, renovations at the newly renamed Trump-Kennedy Center and the reflecting pool that sits between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.
Trump has said he doesn’t need congressional approval to build the arch. The Department of Interior, the applicant on the project, wrote in its filing that “the purpose of the arch is to celebrate the triumphs of the American people, inspire patriotism and love of country, and beautify our nation’s capital.”
“This preposterous arch needs Congressional approval and funding prior to any approvals by this Commission! This is another example of authoritarianism by this corrupt administration!” wrote Jeff Eorio. “There is no funding allocated and the Congress has not reviewed or considered this monstrosity! It will devastate the views from Arlington to the Lincoln Memorial. For the sake of the country and the Constitution, please stop this madness!”
One commenter, however, was firmly on board with the plan to build the arch: “I think the arch will look fantastic,” wrote Will Nance. “I can’t think of a better way to commemorate our 250th anniversary as a country.”
Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization, has filed a lawsuit representing three Vietnam War veterans and an architectural historian to block construction of the arch. They contend that the arch would obstruct the view between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial, “a view carefully designed to symbolize the unification of the country after the Civil War and the strength of a united nation.”
Congress has not authorized construction of a memorial arch on the federal land managed by the National Park Service, which Public Citizen says is a first step required by statute before the government can move forward with construction. Trump also did not seek approval from Congress to begin construction on the ballroom, a fact which is being contested in courts.
Trump has dismissed the idea, saying the land was “owned” by the Department of the Interior.
The arch would be on the Memorial Avenue Corridor, an area that includes Arlington Memorial Bridge, Memorial Circle and Memorial Avenue Bridge on Columbia Island in Washington.
A memo by the NCPC’s staff to the board points out that the Memorial Avenue Corridor was designed as a “symbolic and physical link between the Lincoln Memorial, a tribute to the 16th American President; the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery and Arlington House, the former plantation home of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.”
Edward Stierli of the National Parks Conservation Association, who spoke at the meeting on Thursday, said that when Congress authorized Arlington Memorial Bridge in 1925, it was designed low, with a classical restraint, so as not to interrupt the sightlines between the memorial and the cemetery.
“The proposed Triumphal Arch would physically and symbolically shatter that relationship,” he said.
The staff memo also notes that the applicant is working with the Federal Aviation Administration to evaluate whether the proposed project would impact air navigation, given its proximity to Reagan National Airport. The proposed project is along the Potomac River and is 3,000 feet from Reagan National, near landing approaches for two runways. According to federal regulation, “safe, efficient use and preservation of the navigable airspace” outlines requirements for any construction that is more than 200 feet to file notice with the FAA to determine “whether the proposed construction would be a hazard to air navigation.”
In considering the application, the staff recommends the commission ask the applicant for an “analysis and justification for the project’s height” in accordance with the Height of Buildings Act, a a federal law that limits building height.
“Arlington Cemetery is a powerful reminder of American military sacrifice, selfless service, and national unity,” said Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, during the public hearing. “The triumphal arch would communicate a jarring indifference to the sacrifice of our veterans and mar the outward view from military families and visitors.”
After three hours of public comments and discussion June 4, the planning commission voted in favor of seeking more information from the Department of the Interior, which submitted the application.
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal
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