The proposed arch would rise near Arlington National Cemetery at Memorial Circle, making it the tallest triumphal arch in the world. Trump personally rejected suggestions to scale the project back by more than 80 feet, insisting the monument retain its original 250-foot height and signature golden statues atop the structure.
“This is a very elegant building,” Commission Chairman Rodney Mims Cook Jr. said during the hearing, praising the design as a fitting addition to the capital’s monumental core.
Trump celebrated the approval during remarks from the Oval Office after learning of the vote.
“I finally get good news,” the president joked, adding that he believes congressional approval is unnecessary because the monument would sit on federal parkland.
