Trump administration unveils plan to build 'Arc de Triomphe' in Washington

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has unveiled designs for a massive “Victory Arch” in Washington, D.C., near some of the capital’s most prominent landmarks.

The arch will stand 76.2 meters tall, surpassing Mexico City’s Monument to the Revolution by 9 meters, making it the largest structure of its kind in the world and pushing Pyongyang’s Arch of Triumph to third place. The gold-adorned arch will also tower over the approximately 30-meter-tall Lincoln Memorial on the opposite bank of the Potomac River and will be clearly visible from Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

President Trump wrote on his social media account, “This will be the greatest and most beautiful Victory Arch in the world,” adding that it “will be a magnificent addition to the Washington, D.C. area, to be enjoyed by all Americans for many decades to come.”

The arch is one of several architectural projects launched by Trump during his second term, which also include plans for a grand celebration hall at the White House and renovations of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The designs feature a gilded statue of a winged woman flanked by two eagles atop the arch. Trump stated that the project would be built to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States and its declaration of independence from Britain in 1776.

The project’s blueprint has been submitted for review by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, a federal agency tasked with advising the president on design matters.