President Donald Trump’s proposed 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery was temporarily blocked by a federal judge for 14 days, shortly after a federal commission approved the project. (Foto: Instagram)
A federal judge has blocked construction of President Donald Trump’s proposed triumphal arch for 14 days, shortly after a federal commission approved the project. The proposed site, next to Arlington National Cemetery, where members of the U.S. armed forces are buried, has been a major source of controversy.
Judge Tanya Chutkan said the government had failed to follow required procedural steps in seeking approval. The National Capital Planning Commission approved the project on the evening of Nov. 5, 2026, after hours of public testimony, most of it opposing the arch.
The structure is planned to stand 250 feet tall, making it considerably taller than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, which served as its inspiration. The White House argues that Congress authorized the arch in a 1925 law.
A rendering of the design presented earlier this year shows a golden, winged Statue of Liberty atop the arch, flanked by two golden eagles. The structure would bear the phrases “One Nation Under God” and “Liberty and Justice for All.” Trump praised the proposal in a social media post, writing, “There will be no installation like this anywhere else in the world.”
