ARCH ENEMIES

Trump’s Tacky Arch Project Hit With New Setback

A group of veterans is moving to put the brakes on Trump’s vanity project as he scrambles to fast-track it.

President Donald Trump’s quest to build a 250-foot-tall “triumphal arch” has hit its latest roadblock as he tries to speed the project toward construction.

The president’s lawyers laid out an eye-popping timeline in court filings Wednesday, revealing that Trump is hoping to secure permission for the gargantuan monument and begin work as early as Nov. 5.

But three veterans and a retired architectural historian suing the Trump administration to stop construction of the tacky arch moved to slam the brakes on the project on Thursday, asking District Judge Tanya Chutkan to prohibit the administration and the National Park Service “from taking any steps to construct, or to direct or facilitate construction of, any structure in Memorial Circle, absent congressional authorization, during the pendency of this litigation,” according to the Associated Press.

The National Planning Commission is scheduled to consider the final approval of the site and building plans on Nov. 5—two days after the midterms—potentially clearing the way for work to start that day if the Trump-controlled Interior Department also approves.

“NPS may publish such notice as early as November 5, 2026, and construction could commence as early as November 5, 2026,” the president’s notice said Wednesday.

In Thursday’s filing, the plaintiffs argued that the notice “makes clear that the defendants have no intention of awaiting this court’s decision on the cross-motions for summary judgment and have every intention of imminently beginning construction of the arch on Memorial Circle.”

Chutkan, an Obama appointee, has now given the two sides until noon Friday to hash out a briefing schedule and file it with the court.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Trump’s latest architectural monstrosity, which is estimated to cost at least $100 million, would tower over Memorial Circle, opposite Arlington National Cemetery.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are arguing that the arch needs to be approved by Congress, and say it would degrade the cemetery and ruin historic views across the nation’s capital.

The arch is the subject of another lawsuit brought by the Arlington County Board in Virginia, which is accusing federal agencies of ignoring environmental and safety standards in the rush to build the so-called “Arc de Trump.”

Trump has previously claimed that the extravagant arch could serve a second purpose as a military stronghold, stocked with drones, sniper positions, and ammunition, though blueprints published last week describe it simply as a “ceremonial gateway.”

Americans opposed the arch by more than 2-to-1, with 52 percent opposed, 21 percent in favor, and 26 percent unsure, in an April Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos survey. Strong opposition (41 percent) outweighed strong support (9 percent) by over 4-to-1.

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Erkki ForsterNight News Reporter

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