US President Donald Trump wants Washington, DC, to have a Triumphal Arch, and that too the “biggest one of all," while pointing to the absence of a triumphal arch in the US capital and said that similar monuments exist across the world.

Describing the US as the “biggest, most powerful nation” in the world, Trump, while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, said, “We're considering an arc. It's like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. For 200 years, they've wanted to build an arc. There are 57 cities around the world that have them. We're the only major city, Washington, D.C., that doesn't.”

Trump referred to a location near the Arlington Memorial Bridge, which crosses the Potomac River in Washington, while speaking about the long history of attempts to build such a structure. “There are four eagles that got built, but it was interrupted by a thing called the Civil War. So, it never got built. Then they almost built something in 1902, but that never happened.”

Asked about the proposed height of the structure, he said, “I don't know what the height is. It's just appropriate for the site.”

Renderings Shown In The Oval Office

Trump has, in recent months, displayed renderings of the proposed arch in the Oval Office, according to Bloomberg. The design is loosely inspired by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and is expected to be built across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial, the report added.

Trump also indicated that the plan would be reviewed by a committee. “We're setting up a committee, and the committee's going to be going over it, but it'll be substantial. I'd like it to be the biggest one of all. We're the biggest, most powerful nation. I'd like it to be the biggest one of all.”

Terming it an “exciting job,” Trump said it's something people have been waiting for many years. “For 150 years, they've wanted a memorial. Now we're going to put up the most beautiful memorial anywhere in the world,” he said.

He added that he “could have built a much bigger one,” but chose not to. Instead, he wanted it to be “in keeping with” the surroundings, and make sure that it wouldn't be “taller than the White House.”

.@POTUS on the triumphal arch: "They have 57 cities around the world that have them. We're the only major city — Washington, D.C. — that doesn't... I'd like it to be the biggest one of all. We're the biggest, most powerful nation." pic.twitter.com/mHRnLucZIm

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 1, 2026

Will Arch Eclipse White House And Lincoln Memorial?

The triumphal arch Trump wants to build will be 250 feet tall, The Washington Post reported.  Should such an architecture take shape, it would eclipse the White House as well as the Lincoln Memorial.

While the White House stands about 70 feet tall, the Lincoln Memorial is around 100 feet.

Trump has grown attached to the idea of a 250-foot-tall structure overlooking the Potomac River, according to two people who spoke to the publication on condition of anonymity.

Trump Says Work Could Begin Within Two Months

Earlier, on December 31, 2025, Trump told Politico that construction of the Triumphal Arch is expected to begin “sometime in the next two months.” This comes as the preparations ramp up for the nation's 250th anniversary this year.

The proposed arch, loosely modelled on European victory monuments, is one of several major projects Trump has championed as part of the celebrations.