Trump says construction of giant 'Triumphal Arch' begins soon in DC

After tearing down a section of the White House to make way for his future ballroom, President Donald Trump is moving forward on another construction project that would change the face of the nation's capital.

The president said on Dec. 31 that his proposed giant arch, reminiscent of Paris' Arc de Triomphe, is moving closer to breaking ground.

“It hasn’t started yet. It starts sometime in the next two months. It’ll be great. Everyone loves it,” Trump told Politico in an interview. “They love the ballroom too. But they love the Triumphal Arch.”

The president unveiled 3-D models of the structure at a dinner for his ballroom donors in October, presenting the so-called "Triumphal Arch" that would sit across from the Lincoln Memorial. The arch would serve as a gateway to Washington while entering via the Arlington Memorial Bridge from Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, and further expand his makeover projects beyond the White House.

Trump, whose background is in real estate, has made several changes to the White House grounds, including replacing the Rose Garden lawn with a paved patio and gilding the Oval Office. His 90,000-square-foot ballroom project is well underway. The East Wing was demolished with little advance notice in late October. Since then, it has drawn a court challenge, and new cost estimates put the price tag at $400 million − double the initial estimate.

In comparison, information about the proposed arch has been scant.

Trump did not offer further details about the cost or who would pay for it when he unveiled the models. He also didn't elaborate on what permits it might require. The White House did not immediately respond to questions about the proposed arch following the October dinner. It's also unclear how large the arch might be. In his presentation, Trump showed off the replicas in three sizes: “small, medium and large," he said.

“It's so relaxing for me. Real estate is relaxing,” he told his dinner guests. “For a lot of people, real estate is a very trying business. I've always liked it. I've always done well with it.”

Contributing: Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY.

Kathryn Palmer is a politics reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at[email protected] and on X @KathrynPlmr. Sign up for her daily politics newsletterhere.