The Trump administration is scrambling to complete the president’s proposed 250-foot gilded triumphal arch project before the president’s term ends, according to National Park Service documents published this month.
Trump, 79, came under fire after he unveiled plans last year for the ‘Arc de Trump’ near the Lincoln Memorial as part of celebrations marking America’s 250th anniversary. The project has not received congressional approval, and Trump administration officials say they are not planning to seek authorization for its construction.
Construction experts told The Washington Post that Donald Trump’s timeline for the project is “unusually aggressive for a nonemergency project.” It would require 20 hours of construction daily for two to three years, year-round, to meet the president’s 2028 deadline, the documents show, which would mean two 10-hour daily shifts.
Trump officials are also hoping to expedite construction by using concrete clad in granite, rather than natural stone such as marble and limestone, which have been used to construct other nearby monuments.
“He’s obviously in a hurry to try to get this all done before he leaves office,” Matthew Bell, a University of Maryland architecture professor, told The Post, reacting to news of its proposed timeline and the materials that may be used. “Most of the major monuments in D.C. are stone.”
Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, wrote a letter to National Park Service leaders on Tuesday demanding answers over several vanity projects pitched by Trump since he returned to the White House for a second term last year.
He has gilded the Oval Office with rococo mirrors, gold medallions, and eagle figurines, and erected oversized flagpoles on the grounds. The president has also sparked uproar for his costly plans to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom, which is expected to be completed in late 2028, coinciding with the end of his term in office.
“I write regarding the persistent lack of transparency that the National Park Service (NPS) has demonstrated in its efforts to help President Trump leave an indelible imprint on our nation’s capital,” Blumenthal wrote in his letter, shared with The Post.
“Your disregard for legal process and public interest has been apparent in projects ranging from the construction of a White House Ballroom and triumphal arch to the resealing of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and expansion of the Rock Creek Tennis Center.”
He added: “While it is important that we maintain our national landmarks as they age, the scale, cost, and permanence of these projects has revealed troubling patterns of waste, fraud, and abuse across these episodes.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
In a statement to the Daily Beast last week, White House spokesman Davis Ingle said the arch “is going to be one of the most iconic landmarks not only in Washington, D.C., but throughout the world.
“It will enhance the visitor experience at Arlington National Cemetery for veterans, the families of the fallen, and all Americans alike, serving as a visual reminder of the noble sacrifices borne by so many American heroes throughout our 250 year history so we can enjoy our freedoms today.
“President Trump will continue to honor our veterans and give the greatest Nation on earth — America — the glory it deserves.”
A group of Vietnam War veterans is suing to stop construction of the triumphal arch, arguing that Congress never authorized it and that it would obstruct views of Arlington National Cemetery, where more than 400,000 American service members are buried.
