Trump Filing Shows Design of His Planned Triumphal Arch

President Trump's latest bid to reshape Washington's skyline now has a visual: a 250-foot ceremonial arch ringed by golden flourishes and looming over the Potomac. Renderings released Friday show a structure at Memorial Circle—near Arlington National Cemetery—topped by a winged Lady Liberty, guarded by four gold lions, and stamped with "One Nation Under God." The monument, which is being challenged in court, is pitched by the administration as a tribute to the nation's 250th birthday and Trump's legacy. It would stand more than twice as tall as the Lincoln Memorial, exceeding even Paris' Arc de Triomphe, the Washington Post reports.

The filing Friday was the first submission of plans for the arch, as the Trump administration begins the process of seeking approval. The Interior Department submitted the plans to the Commission of Fine Arts, whose Trump-appointed members will review the proposal Thursday. The arch's cost wasn't disclosed; a proposal released this week says taxpayers would help pay for it, per CBS News. Congress has not signed off on the project, which would sit on protected land that typically requires legislative approval. Veterans groups, preservationists, and the watchdog group Public Citizen have sued to block the arch, arguing it would disrupt views of Arlington and surrounding memorials, with Democrats backing the challenge.