President Trump said Sunday his planned Triumphal Arch in Washington will become a “top grade Military Complex” equipped with snipers and drones to help protect the capital.
“At the strong request of the United States Military, and for National Security purposes, I have agreed to convert the magnificent Triumphal Arch, planned since the Civil War Era many years ago, at the Receptive Circle adjoining the Arlington Memorial Bridge, into a top grade Military Complex/Triumphal Arch,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
The arch construction was expected to begin this month, towering 250-feet in a traffic circle near the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC.
Trump said that the arch will now be built with a dual purpose to “house, store, and have the rapid ability to use large numbers of drones, plus Snipers, on both the roof and plaza areas.”
He also said that the arch will hold ‘large quantities of sniper ammunition in storage.”
“There will be no facility like this anywhere in the world,” Trump added.
The arch’s development, which comes as an effort from Trump to “beautify DC,” will recognize America’s 250th birthday.
However, the arch has sparked concerns that its will interfere with seeing other major DC monuments and the Arlington National Cemetery. There are also concerns about its proximity to the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
However, Trump stands on his plans stating that “out of the 59 top cities and Capitals, Washington, DC, IS THE ONLY ONE IN THE WORLD THAT DOES NOT HAVE A TRIUMPHAL ARCH, but it will now and, by far, the greatest of them all!”
On Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration said that the arch does not pose any hazard to arriving or departing flights to and from DCA.
Democratic lawmakers, however, still raise their concerns saying that the arch will further complicate airspace.
