Federal officials have admitted that the president’s tacky vanity arch will harm nearby historical sites, but insisted that it must be built regardless.
Trump, 80, wants a 250-foot gilded triumphal arch erected at Memorial Circle, the roundabout leading to Arlington National Cemetery. After the president admitted it was being built for him earlier this year, the project earned the nickname “Arch de Trump.”
The monument will rise to 250 feet, dwarfing the 99-foot Lincoln Memorial across the Potomac River. Opponents to the arch have claimed that its height would also impact the nearby Arlington National Cemetery and create other disruptions in the area.
A new document from the National Park Service has admitted that “the adverse effects cannot be fully avoided” but insists the project, which Trump wants finished before his term ends in January 2029, must go ahead.
National Park Service officials admitted that the mammoth arch would impact the cemetery, the Lincoln Memorial and several dozen other nearby historic sites.
The document, obtained by the Washington Post, has been sent to local historic preservation officers as part of the federally required process to offer feedback on the construction.
It states that Trump’s arch cannot be relocated and built in a less problematic area because “the proposed location at Memorial Circle is central to the undertaking.”
As a compromise to the potentially damaging impact on surrounding areas, the National Park Service suggested erecting signs or launching websites designed to explain the project to the public. They also offered to “avoid disruptive construction activities during funerals” as well as a plan to control excessive noise and dust.
A “vibration monitoring plan” would also be established to gauge the impact on Arlington Memorial Bridge and other nearby historic structures.
“NPS recognizes that Memorial Circle is located within a highly sensitive historic and commemorative landscape and that the Undertaking’s location contributes to adverse effects to historic properties whose significance is associated with setting, design, feeling, association, spatial organization, circulation, and contributing views and vistas,” the proposed agreement states.
A previous National Park Service assessment said the project would also affect the National Mall, the U.S. Capitol, the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, the Georgetown Historic District, the Old Naval Observatory, the Key Bridge, and the National Cathedra.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
In a statement to the Daily Beast, an Interior Department spokesperson said it would continue to follow all laws and regulations under the National Historic Preservation Act’s Section 106, which forces federal agencies to evaluate how their projects impact historic properties. The spokesperson added that the department hired a consulting party in June.
“Throughout the consultation process, Interior has received over 100,000 public comments, has accepted dozens of organizations as consulting parties, and has extended comment periods to allow for more robust discussion,” the statement read.
“To infer this process is unlawful shows a lack of understanding of the facts on the ground as well as how the Section 106 process works.”
Senior NPS official Tammy Stidham asked local historic preservation officers and other groups affected by the arch to review and sign the document by 12 p.m. Monday, according to an email seen by the Post.
The administration must get their approval under the Section 106 provision, which can then fast-track final sign-off for the project.
Last week, Stidham said the Trump administration hopes to submit the arch project for approval from the National Capital Planning Commission by as early as November.
Interior Department Secretary Doug Burgum said excavation work on the project will start this month.
However, historical preservationists have questioned the haste from the Trump administration to end public input and start construction.
“This is not consistent with NPS practice, NPS regulations, or the intent of the National Historic Preservation Act,” Rebecca Miller, executive director of the DC Preservation League, wrote to Stidham on Tuesday, in an email shared with the Post.
She also asked the Trump administration to continue discussing alternative approaches to building the arch.
In May, Vietnam War veteran Jon Gunderson, 81, said building the arch would be disrespectful to veterans as it would obstruct views of Arlington National Cemetery, where more than 400,000 American service members are buried.
“This is not a monument to veterans. This is a monument to the ego of one man,” Gunderson said on MS NOW.
