“Entirely inappropriate” and bordering on “sacrilege.”
That is how a coalition of U.S. veterans and Gold Star families is condemning President Trump’s proposed 250-foot “triumphal arch,” a massive monument he wants built outside Arlington National Cemetery.
In a new video aimed at rallying public opposition, critics warn that Trump’s planned arch would dramatically reshape the view around one of the nation’s most sacred military burial grounds — with construction potentially just weeks away.
The video was released by VoteVets and the nonprofit organization Home of the Brave.
“If Trump thinks that we’ll be quiet about this proposed arch, he’s wrong,” Karen Meredith, a Gold Star mother whose son, First Lt. Ken Ballard, was killed in Iraq in 2004, says in the video.
The campaign calls on the public to help stop the project by sharing the video, contacting members of Congress and submitting comments to the National Capital Planning Commission. The commission is expected to vote on the proposal next month, a decision that could allow the administration to move ahead with construction soon afterward.
Veterans groups have also taken the fight to court, filing a federal lawsuit seeking to block construction of Trump’s 25-story triumphal arch.
Last week, a judge ordered the administration to give the court at least 48 hours’ notice before beginning any planned construction on the project.
(Video credit: VoteVet/Home of the Brave)
Trump holds up a model for a proposed arch as he speaks during a dinner with ballroom donors in the East Room of the White House
The Trump ‘Triumphal Arch’ renderings shared by the US Commission of Fine Arts
The legal fight comes as the Supreme Court recently cleared the way for the Trump administration to proceed with construction of a sprawling White House ballroom project — injecting a fresh sense of urgency for individuals opposed to the arch.
Participants in the video note how the arch would break up the sightline between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery – fundamentally altering the ‘hallowed ground,’ as well as the sense of place individuals get when they visit.
Retired Major Gen. Paul Eaton, whose father is buried at the cemetery, blasted the project as ‘entirely inappropriate’ to the men and women who were laid to rest there – and who continue to be buried there on a daily basis.
‘Every weekday, somebody is buried at Arlington National Cemetery,’ Eaton said in the video.
These services and burials would also be drastically impacted by construction of the project, which he notes that the US Park Service estimates will take up to three years to complete – at a rate of 20 hours of construction per day, including holidays.
Meredith notes in the video that Trump’s blueprint for the arch includes an ‘observation deck’ by which tourists can gaze out onto the nation’s capital and the cemetery behind them – where many families go to grieve and spend quiet time with their loved ones.
Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office
A mockup of President Donald Trump’s proposed triumphal arch at the Great American State Fair
‘For me, Arlington has been a nice quiet place,’ Meredith said in the video. ‘We don’t need tourists overlooking funerals.’
The National Park Service acknowledged in a 133-page report last month that, despite its support for the project overall, the build-out and size Trump proposed could cause adverse effects to the DC skyline and line of sight between some of Washington’s most historic, time-honored monuments.
The Park Service found that the arch would likely disrupt the historical significance of dozens of monuments and sites near its planned construction.
It noted that the effects of the arch project cannot be ‘fully avoided’ ‘without either relocating the Arch away from the historically identified site or eliminating the principal commemorative feature, both of which would fail to meet the undertaking’s purpose and need.’
The Federal Aviation Authority is also continuing its review of triumphal arch, in line with agency rules that require all structures above 200 feet and in sensitive areas to be evaluated.
Congressman Don Beyer, who represents the Arlington National Cemetery, said Democrats would contest the project if they take control of the House in November.
‘They believe, I hope correctly, that the project will be endangered by a new Democratic majority that actually stands up to Trump,’ Beyer said in a statement to the Post. ‘This project is not even close to being ready for prime time.’
The White House did not immediately respond to request for comment on the video or the groups’ opposition to the triumphal arch.
