Trump's patriotic dream of building a giant 250ft 'Triumphal Arch' could still be derailed

By NIKKI SCHWAB, CHIEF CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT Published: 18:09, 25 May 2026 | Updated: 18:11, 25 May 2026 President Donald Trump's 'Triumphal Arch' was green-lit this week by a key planning commission, but could still hit a roadblock thanks to the Federal Aviation Administration.  The aviation authority is conducting a review to see if the massive structure - which at its highest point is to stand at 279 feet - will be a hazard to air traffic.  The gilded structure, which is based on Paris's famed Arc de Triomphe, is to be built less than two miles from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and about a mile from the Pentagon's helipad.  It's one of the nation's busiest air corridors, where pilots face strict flight restrictions, and was the site of a deadly crash in January 2025 between a Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines commercial flight, killing all 67 people involved. On Friday, an FAA spokesperson declined to provide an update on timing. But the FAA confirmed to the Daily Mail that the agency had received the request for an 'aeronautical study of a proposed monumental arch' and started the 'standard obstruction evaluation process.' Any structure surpassing 200 feet in height triggers the process.  CNN reported earlier this month that these reviews typically take up to nine months, but the FAA said it plans to complete the assessment within 45 to 90 days.  President Donald Trump's triumphal arch could still hit a roadblock if the Federal Aviation Administration determines it would be a hazard to air traffic. The arch project was approved by the Commission of Fine Arts on Thursday One of the visuals of the arch, which show its enormous height, provided to the Commission of Fine Arts, which reviewed and approved the project this week, fast-tracking it through the typical process  Trump is trying to fast-track the project as it's to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence.  One way he's doing so is by using a plan Congress ratified in 1925 - 101 years ago - to include a pair of 166-foot columns and statues in the site where the 'arc de Trump' would stand, which was part of the broader Arlington Memorial Bridge project. Nothing ended up being built inside that traffic circle, leaving it ripe for yet another Trump building project.  The Washington Post reported last week that the Trump administration planned to start work on the site by using a contract for engineering services on the White House's grounds.  The White House is located about a mile away. The Post obtained emails showing Park Services acting director Jessica Bowron asking White House officials if her agency could extend a contract between the White House and AECOM Services to conduct an environmental assessment for the arch project.  She said using the existing contract would allow work to 'align with the Administration's timeline.'   'I realize its a little further afield than Lafayette Park, but given the engagement on this project from the WH, I thought I'd check,' Bowron said in an April 22 exchange.   Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is less than two miles away from where President Donald Trump's proposed triumphal arch will be built. And any structure over 200 feet triggers a FAA review  The latest renderings of President Donald Trump's triumphal arch provided to the public by the Commission of Fine Arts. The body approved the design on Thursday but removed the four golden lion statues  An hour later she received a 'Yes, of course,' from Heather Martin, an official in the Executive Office of the President, the Post said.  It's unclear if that contract was ultimately used, but workers and equipment were spotted at the site in mid-May.  'Any correspondence that has been leaked to the Washington Post was draft/deliberative conversations and is not the final determination,' a spokesperson for the Interior Department told the paper.  On Thursday, the Commission of Fine Arts - which is stacked with Trump allies, including his 26-year-old executive assistant - approved the project, bypassing the traditional, more thorough, review process. Despite the Commission's members suggesting the project get smaller by removing the golden rooftop adornments, they approved it at full height, though with four golden lions removed from the design.  Members ignored around 600 public comments, with only three expressing positive views of the project, Archinect reported.  The same group did the same thing when Trump's ballroom project was before them.  The National Capital Planning Commission, the other federal review body, will take up the arch project at its June meeting.  A Vietnam Veterans group is suing because the arch would block the view of Arlington National Cemetery from the Lincoln Memorial (pictured) An anti-arch protest was set up in the site of the future monument and along the motorcade route President Donald Trump took to get to Arlington National Cemetery to mark Memorial Day on Monday  That group is also stacked with Trump allies and is chaired by the White House's Staff Secretary Will Scharf.  They also quickly pushed through Trump's ballroom, despite almost all public comment being against it.   A lawsuit over the arch is still lurking in the background too.  A group of Vietnam War veterans are trying to block the arch because it would block the view of Arlington National Cemetery from the Lincoln Memorial.  Trump encountered a group of anti-arch protesters on Monday as he was motorcading to Arlington National Cemetery to mark Memorial Day.   The comments below have not been moderated. 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