Trump says his planned arch would become a ‘military complex’ able to host drones and snipers

Sep 20, 2026, 5:15 AM Updated: 8:10 am

FILE - A mockup of President Donald Trump's proposed triumphal arch stands at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, June 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck, File)
Credit: AP Photo/Jen Golbeck

(AP Photo/Jen Golbeck, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Sunday that the massive arch he wants to build between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery would become a “top grade military complex” able to host drones and snipers while storing ammunition.

It is one more example of how Trump is insisting that his initiatives to beautify the White House and the city are also serving a defensive purpose. Trump has been calling the new White House ballroom a “military complex” and arguing it is necessary for national security purposes.

The Republican president said in a social media post that he had agreed, at the “strong request” of the military, to convert the planned 250-foot-tall (76-meter) memorial arch “into a top grade Military Complex/Triumphal Arch, to house, store, and have the rapid ability to use large numbers of drones, plus Snipers, on both the roof and plaza areas, and additionally have and hold large quantities of sniper ammunition in storage.”

The arch, proposed for a circle adjacent to the Memorial Bridge, is one of several projects that the Republican president is pursuing to leave his lasting imprint on Washington. Among the others are the white House ballroom, renaming and renovating the Kennedy Center, refurbishing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and rebuilding a golf course in East Potomac Park that could significantly reduce the public’s access to running and biking paths.