chairman Donald Trump’s push for one triumphal arch A major obstacle was removed in the country’s capital on Thursday. A federal planning panel approved the monument despite overwhelming public objections. The arch would go up near Arlington National Cemetery, and critics have already taken the fight to court.
Donald Trump’s winning image gets NCPC approval
The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) endorsed the victory by a margin of 8-4. The commissioners reached their decision after a marathon session of nearly nine hours. During this time he heard more than 100 public comments. Most speakers urged him to say no.
Opponents argued that the monument disrespects service members and families associated with Arlington. Others called it a vanity project run by Donald Trump. Some warned that the structure could endanger local airspace, and one speaker recalled a mid-air collision over the Potomac River in 2025 that killed 67 people. A handful of people joined the protest on the Memorial Bridge, with a red “X” drawn on the arch in the background of their video.
Former CIA analyst Holly Fletcher called the design “nonsense” and “tasteless”. Ed Sterling of the National Parks Conservation Association asked why the panel could give “final approval to a structure that doesn’t even have a clear purpose?” He also said that reviews under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act have been “shredded”.
Additionally, Representative Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) began criticizing Congress. He pointed out that Congress never signed the Ark and declared that America was “a country of laws, not of kings or kangaroo commissions.”
NCPC Chairman Mark Paoletta hit back, telling Huffman that he was “wrong.” Paoletta defended the administration’s reliance on the 1925 law that created the Arlington Memorial Bridge Commission. Huffman replied that the old records do not amount to congressional authorization, and he urged the administration to put that case before a judge. Republican Representatives Andrew Clyde of Georgia and Brian Mast of Florida spoke in support of the arch (via ). hill).