A planned monumental arch initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump, long informally nicknamed the “Arc de Trump” by national media, has been assigned its formal, official name: the United States Triumphal Arch. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made the formal announcement to reporters on Wednesday, confirming that the towering structure is being developed to commemorate the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence.
“In honor of this historic occasion, President Trump and the Department of Interior will submit plans for the United States Triumphal Arch,” Leavitt told the press corps. Alongside the announcement, she shared an artist’s rendering of the proposed monument — an introduction that made headlines after she initially held the image upside down.
According to Leavitt, the “monumental” arch will reach 250 feet (76.2 meters) in total height, a measurement intentionally selected to mirror the 250 years of U.S. nationhood. Topping the colossal structure will be a large golden statue of Lady Liberty, a design that will make it far taller than the world’s most famous existing triumphal arch: Paris’ Arc de Triomphe, which stands just 164 feet tall. In fact, the U.S. monument will claim the title of the largest arch of its kind globally, outstripping Mexico City’s Monument to the Revolution to take the top spot and pushing Pyongyang’s Arch of Triumph down to third place. It will also tower over Washington D.C.’s iconic Lincoln Memorial, which reaches only 99 feet in height.
Plans for the arch first came to public attention in October, when AFP reporters spotted a scale model of the structure on Trump’s Oval Office desk. The unofficial nickname “Arc de Trump” quickly spread across U.S. media outlets following the discovery, and Trump publicly released the first full architectural renderings of the project last Friday.
The arch is just one of several high-profile architectural initiatives Trump is advancing during his second presidential term, all designed to leave a lasting physical legacy in the nation’s capital. Other projects include the construction of an expansive new ballroom for the White House and major renovations to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The proposal has drawn sharp criticism from opponents, who argue that the gold-accented monument is nothing more than a vanity project for the 79-year-old president. Funding details have also sparked debate: ABC News reports that the project will draw partial support from U.S. taxpayer dollars, including $2 million in special allocations from the National Endowment for the Humanities, alongside a $13 million matching fund program for private donations.
Leavitt pushed back against criticism on Wednesday, framing the arch as a celebration of American national pride. “Long after everyone in this room is gone, our children and grandchildren will remain inspired by this national monument,” she told reporters.