President Trump says construction will soon begin on what he is calling a “triumphal arch” near the Lincoln Memorial, which he says will be more impressive than similar arches in Europe. He says the National Trust for Historic Preservation — which is now suing his administration for his destruction of the East Wing in order to build a massive ballroom — will be involved in the arch’s construction. 

Mr. Trump has been aggressively trying to remake parts of federal areas within Washington, D.C. more in his image. 

He has plastered gold on nearly every surface in the Oval Office, ripped up the Rose Garden in order to build a patio reminiscent of Mar-a-Lago, and saw his portrait hanging from federal buildings in celebration of America’s 250th birthday. He is also reportedly looking at playing a personal role in revitalizing Washington’s golf courses, according to the Wall Street Journal.

On Sunday, during a Christmas reception at the White House, Mr. Trump — who has mused about his arch for months — said that construction is due to begin shortly. He says it will be located near the Arlington Memorial Bridge and Arlington National Cemetery, just across the river from the Lincoln Memorial in Virginia. 

“It will be like the one in Paris, but to be honest with you, it blows it away,” Mr. Trump told staff and friends at the White House. “[Washington] is the only city in the world of great importance that doesn’t have a triumphal arch.”

“This one is gonna blow ‘em all away,” he added.

During a dinner at the White House last month, Mr. Trump courted wealthy individuals to get them to donate for the construction of the arch. He says it will cost around $250 million. Mr. Trump has said repeatedly that he has the right to build or tear down whatever he wants within parts of the capital city because he is the president. 

“You have zero zoning conditions. You’re the president,” he told donors. “I said, ‘You gotta be kidding!’” Mr. Trump added, referring to those critics who say he may be breaking the law. 

During his remarks at the Christmas reception on Sunday, Mr. Trump asked his staff to try to work in coordination with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a non-profit organization which supports local preservationists to help protect federal, state, and local historic sites. 

The organization may not be interested in working on such a project with the president, however, given the fact that it has filed a lawsuit against his administration over the ballroom being built on the White House grounds. 

On Friday, the National Trust announced that it was suing to block construction of the East Wing ballroom “until the government complies with the law by going through the legally mandated review processes, including a public comment period.” The White House is apparently moving full steam ahead, however, according to freelance journalist Andrew Leyden, who shared a photo on X Saturday of a large crane recently erected on the White House grounds. 

The organization — which is privately funded — filed the lawsuit in the federal district court for the District of Columbia. 

“No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever — not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else. And no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in,” the lawsuit states.