Trump's design plans for 250-foot arch scores key stamp of approval
Washington DC - A key federal agency recently approved design plans for President Donald Trump's 250-foot triumphal arch.
According to AP News, members of the US Commission of Fine Arts – all of whom were handpicked by the president – approved the plans on Thursday, checking off a key step in the project's process.
Trump is planning to build the arch, which he claims is intended to commemorate America's 250th Anniversary, on Memorial Circle – a traffic roundabout near Arlington Cemetery.
Last month, he first unveiled renderings for the project, which featured his name in gold, announcing that his team had submitted them to the commission.
Trump has faced backlash over the arch – officially named the United States Triumphal Arch – and the many other projects he has invested time and money into, as he and his administration have insisted against getting the necessary approval from Congress.
During a press conference on Thursday in the Oval Office, Trump bragged that his arch will be "more beautiful" than the iconic Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
But when a reporter pointed out that congressional approval would be needed, Trump simply dismissed the notion, responding, "No, we don't. No. We're doing it."
A group of veterans and a historian are suing to block the project, arguing that the arch would "dishonor" their service and legacy and that of other veterans by building it near Arlington Cemetery.
Cover photo: Kent NISHIMURA / AFP