Trump presses ahead with Washington triumphal arch plan
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Apr 30
Trump presses ahead with Washington triumphal arch plan
14 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Apr 30
The proposed monument in Washington is explicitly framed as surpassing Paris's Arc de Triomphe, drawing eye rolls in France and renewed scrutiny of the French landmark's history.
The idea follows Trump's earlier embrace of French pageantry, including a military parade inspired by the Bastille Day celebration he attended in Paris in 2017 with Emmanuel Macron.
The Arc de Triomphe, begun under Napoleon and completed in 1836, has since become a contested French symbol of mourning, celebration and protest rather than a simple monument to military glory.
Can a monument built to 'surpass' another truly capture its own unique historical meaning?
How can a new arch embody national identity without overshadowing existing sacred memorials?
What happens when a new monument's grand scale clashes with a city's historic master plan?