WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump observed Veterans Day by suggesting that the towering arch he wants to build in his own honor would also be dedicated to the U.S. military and those who served in its ranks. That’s despite three veterans having sued to stop the project — which a federal court has since temporarily blocked. Some military groups have cheered the arch, but many others have opposed it or joined efforts to stop construction. Trump has said for months that the 250-foot (76-metre) arch set for construction near Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial would be inspired by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and might even be called the “Arc de Trump.” He’s also insisted that Washington has wanted a similar structure for centuries — even though that’s not true. In comments during an annual ceremony at Arlington Cemetery on Wednesday, however, Trump suggested it was actually veterans who had longed for an arch in the capital. “And soon we’re going to dedicate a magnificent triumphal arc to our veterans,” he said. “And that’s in honor of our great veterans and our great militaries.” He added: “They’ve been waiting for it for 200 years.” Veterans’ legal efforts to stop the arch are ongoing Though the arch received approval from oversight boards stacked with members chosen by Trump, the three veterans are among several entities suing to block the arch’s construction. Nine family members of the Kennedy political dynasty are also seeking to stop the project, arguing that the arch would cast a shadow over their relatives’ gravesites at Arlington National Cemetery. Last week, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a temporary restraining order, prohibiting work for 14 days. With Democrats soon taking control of Congress after big wins all over the country in last week’s midterm elections, Trump’s renovation projects will encounter far more scrutiny and roadblocks — from his effort to put his own name on the Kennedy Center to remaking a public golf course and building his massive White House ballroom and the arch. Despite the midterm defeats by his party and the potential legal and legislative hurdles, the White House has continued to promote the arch project. That includes a slick website unveiled last week which proclaimed that it’d be known as the United States Military Triumphal Arch and was “long overdue, and has been sought for many years, especially by the Military.” The website prominently displays a picture of and quote from Trump. It also features the word “Triumph” in gold cursive script recalling the typeface used at the president’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and similar flourishes that have been affixed to the White House as part of his overhaul of the Oval Office and West Wing. The arch’s plans call for its columns to store munitions and areas on the pedestal and observation deck to be set aside for a sniper’s nest. Its base would be designed to launch drones, and the site says that the overall monument “will be Highly Secretive but, at the same time, a Top Level and Lethal structure, the likes of which has not been seen in this Country before.” The website does not say how much the project will cost or how it will be paid for, although some estimates have reached as high as US$100 million. Will Weissert, The Associated Press
