President Trump announced that Vince Haley, who leads the White House Domestic Policy Council, will oversee plans to build a triumphal arch in Washington, D.C., near the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington Memorial Bridge. Trump compared the proposal to Paris's Arc de Triomphe and said the new monument would surpass it. The announcement comes as critics highlight rising costs and looming sharp increases in health insurance premiums for over 20 million Americans.
Trump Names Domestic Policy Chief To Lead Plan For Triumphal Arch Near Lincoln Memorial
Donald Trump holds a model of an arch during a ballroom dinner at the White House in Washington DC on 15 October.Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
President Donald Trump told guests at a White House holiday reception that he has put Vince Haley, head of the White House Domestic Policy Council, in charge of building a triumphal arch in Washington, D.C. The announcement comes amid criticism that the administration has not adequately addressed rising costs for many Americans, including looming large increases in health insurance premiums for more than 20 million people.
Speaking at the event, Trump praised Haley — a former speechwriter and longtime aide to Newt Gingrich — and described the project as a major focus for the domestic policy team.
"Vince is unbelievable on policy," Trump said. "And we have a policy thing that's going to be unbelievable happening."
Trump said the proposed monument would sit near the Arlington Memorial Bridge and Arlington National Cemetery, opposite the Lincoln Memorial and near commemorative sites honoring Jefferson and Washington. He compared the plan to Paris's Arc de Triomphe, saying the new U.S. arch would "blow it away." The president used the French term "Arc de Triomphe" but at times mixed English and French in his remarks.
"I put Vince in charge of the triumphal arc," Trump said. "We're building an arc, like the Arc de Triumph... But to be honest with you, the new arch Vince will oversee will be much better than the one Napoleon Bonaparte ordered. It blows it away. Blows it away in every way."
Trump also recounted Haley's reaction to a model of the proposed structure: "Vince came in one day and his eyes were teeming," the president said, apparently searching for the word "beaming." "He couldn't believe how beautiful it was. He saw it, and he wanted to do that." Trump told Haley the project was his "primary thing" and that nothing could compete with it as a priority.
Critics and some Americans facing rising expenses — including higher costs tied to recent tariffs on imports and threatened spikes in health insurance premiums — say the emphasis on a monumental construction project appears out of step with urgent economic pressures. Supporters of the idea say a national monument could symbolize American achievements and attract tourism, but details about funding, design, approvals and timeline were not provided at the event.
What We Know: The plan is in its early stages. The president has publicly assigned oversight to the White House Domestic Policy Council, but the project will still require planning permissions, funding decisions and coordination with federal and local agencies responsible for the National Mall and surrounding federal lands.
