Napoleon Bonaparte had the Arc de Triomphe. Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang had a Great Wall. And Donald Trump will have an Independence Arch, with or without shiny golden features.
After spending the past few days fracturing global alliances over the fate of Greenland, Trump was back in Washington on Friday giving the public a sneak peak of his latest vanity project: The Independence Arch.
The former real estate mogul posted three images of what the structure could look like when it is built across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial to mark America’s 250th anniversary later this year.
One image was a giant plain white Roman-style arched monument, minus the president’s much-loved bling.
The second image was similar but featured two large statues on either side and various relief sculptures and decorative features.
And the third was more in line with Trump’s trademark Mar-a-Lago style: a giant white structure with a gold-tinted arch, gold statues and gold decorative wreaths and laurel motifs.
The Independence Arch is modeled on the Arc de Triomphe, one of Paris’ most iconic structures, which was commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1806 to honor his military triumphs.
Trump announced it in October during a dinner party for billionaires donating to his White House ballroom.
Asked at the time who it would be built for, the president was unequivocal: “Me,” he replied.
Supporters say it’s a bold project, noting that while Washington, D.C. has numerous memorials and monuments, it lacks a grand triumphal arch.
But critics describe it as self-aggrandizing and tone deaf, at a time when millions of Americans are struggling to make ends meet.
“Meanwhile, people can’t afford groceries or healthcare,” quipped left-leaning political commentator Brian Krassenstein in response to the new images being posted on Friday.
The White House has yet to explain how much the project will cost, although Axios reported in November that it was estimated at $100 million and funded in part by donors.
Trump also said in December that construction was expected to begin “sometime in the next two months,” telling Politico: “It’ll be great. Everyone loves it.”
But it is not clear what planning approvals will be required for the project, which is yet another example of Trump remaking Washington in his own image.
Since returning to office for a second term, the 79-year-old president has also decked the Oval Office out in gold, paved over the Rose Garden with drab concrete, installed giant flags on the North and South Lawns, and torn down the East Wing of the White House to make way for an ever-expanding ballroom.
But the ballroom has been particularly controversial, doubling in cost (now estimated at $400 million) and expanding every month.
On Thursday, a judge even questioned whether the administration had authority to proceed with construction.
The concerns were raised as part of a lawsuit brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which had accused the president of overstepping his authority in fast-tracking the project.
The group is now seeking a temporary restraining order to halt the project until it goes through the necessary approvals.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon has yet to rule on the case, but the Trust’s president, Carol Quillen, said in a statement: “We will continue to advocate for the administration to follow the law and to give the public a chance to be heard before the continuation of construction activity makes the outcome irreversible.”
The proposed Arch follows the tradition of rulers commissioning exorbitant monuments to cement their place in history.
Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned the Taj Mahal in India as a mausoleum for his wife.
Emperor Qin Shi Huang initiated the construction of the Great Wall of China to defend against northern nomadic invaders.
And Trump, it seems, is creating a monument for himself in the nation’s capital.
