 One of the proposed designs | |
 Interactive map of Memorial Circle arch Independence Arch | |
| Location | Washington, D.C. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°53′8″N77°3′36″W / 38.88556°N 77.06000°W /38.88556; -77.06000 |
| Type | Triumphal arch |
| Height | 250 feet (76.2 meters) |
TheMemorial Circle arch orIndependence Arch is atriumphal arch proposed byDonald Trump in 2025 that would be located onColumbia Island inWashington, D.C.[1] The 250 feet (75 meters) tall arch would celebrate theUnited States Semiquincentennial.[2]
The site is Memorial Circle, atraffic circle on Memorial Drive between the end of theArlington Memorial Bridge andArlington National Cemetery. It is directly across thePotomac River from theLincoln Memorial at the west end of theNational Mall.[3][2]
The arch has been referred to by some media as the "Arc de Trump" (a play on "Arc de Triomphe").[1][3]
Duncan G. Stroik, an architectural professor at theUniversity of Notre Dame, stated, after being appointed in 2019 to theUnited States Commission on Fine Arts by PresidentDonald Trump, that thetraffic circle should have something in the middle of it. As a gateway to Washington, DC, the large traffic circle should have something that "would be very noteworthy — and it should be beautiful". He said thatAmerica's 250th anniversary presented an opportunity that could be fulfilled by atriumphal arch.[3]
In an April 2025 article titled "Washington Needs an Arch", in theconservative publicationThe American Mind, art critic Catesby Leigh detailed the visual effect that an arch would have on the axis of monuments on theNational Mall. Leigh also observed that Washington D.C. is the "only majorWestern capital without a monumental arch".[4]
On October 15, 2025, Trump showed reporters in the Oval Office a model sitting on his desk of a proposed arch that he wished to build. CBS reporterEd O'Keefe asked if it would be called "The Arc de Trump", a nickname that was immediately adopted by the media.[1][5]
Later that evening, guests were shown three differently scaledmodels of the arch at a dinner in the White House'sEast Room for donors to theballroom expansion.[6] The largest version would reportedly dwarf the iconic structures closest to it, including theLincoln Memorial.[7]
The large arch, which Anastasia Tsioulcas, writing forNPR, said was evocative of theneoclassical style favored byGeorge Washington andThomas Jefferson, would be surmounted by two eagles and a golden winged figure variously described as an angel or a suggestion ofVictory.[7][8] Trump said it representedLady Liberty.[9]
During the aforementioned dinner, Trump also stated that construction of the arch would be completed in time for the250th anniversary of the United States. He said that it was "fully financed", and that some of the funds left over from the ballroom project would be used to fund the arch.[2]
On December 16, 2025, Trump announced thatVince Haley was to be in charge of the project.[10] On December 31, 2025, Trump said construction of the arch would start within two months.[11] Nicolas Leo Charbonneau has been retained as the architect for the project.[12]
On January 23, 2026, Trump presented another design of the Independence Arch, measuring 250 feet (75 meters), one foot for every year of the United State's anniversary. This would be taller than the Arc de Triomphe, measuring 164 feet (50 meters).[13]
After Trump opted for the largest design presented to him, some architects who were initially supportive of an arch (including Leigh) expressed their opposition to an arch of such size at the proposed location.[12]
Journalists leaving an Oval Office event Wednesday asked the president who the proposed arch would be built for. He replied: 'Me.'
Mr. Trump said she was Lady Liberty, though the statue on Liberty Island in New York Harbor does not have wings. The gold figure more closely resembled depictions of the Roman goddess of victory.
