Trump says 250-foot arch will now be a military complex for attack drones, snipers and ammo

Donald Trump made another push on Sunday to redefine one of his Washington, D.C. “beautification” projects that is likely aimed at securing funding for the project from a skeptical Congress.

The president posted on Truth Social that his planned 250-foot triumphal arch will now be loaded up with “large numbers of drones, plus Snipers,” and insisted that the commemorative structure on the grounds of one of America’s most sacred spaces — Arlington National Cemetery — would become a “top grade Military Complex.”

“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, to house, store, and have the rapid ability to use large numbers of drones, plus Snipers, on both the roof and plaza areas, and additionally have and hold large quantities of sniper ammunition in storage,” wrote the president.

“There will be no facility like this anywhere in the World,” Trump added, before adding: “Out of the 59 top cities and Capitals, Washington, D.C., IS THE ONLY ONE IN THE WORLD THAT DOES NOT HAVE A TRIUMPHAL ARCH.”

The president’s remarks come after he made similar plans to convert his planned White House ballroom, which like the triumphal arch is facing legal challenges due to lack of congressional approval, into a military installation at the White House.

Trump sought to secure funding for the “ballroom/drone port” through Congress this summer by insisting that funding for it could be part of necessary Secret Service security upgrades to the White House grounds, but the Senate balked and refused to grant him money for the project in a budget package approved on party lines through the reconciliation process this year.

Trump has already sought to break ground on this latest project without congressional approval, citing a century-old authorization from Congress for another project in the same location.

Democrats and legal groups have filed to stop the construction, joining battles being fought over land across the District of Columbia including the Kennedy Center and the former location of the White House East Wing, which was demolished to make way for the ballroom project. Veterans’ groups have also sued to stop construction of the arch on the grounds that it will ruin the original skyline of Arlington National Cemetery.

In May, Trump posted what appeared to be AI-generated mockups depicting the roof of his planned ballroom structure covered by numerous military drone aircraft, armed soldiers and refueling trucks, turning the placid grounds of the White House into a major military installation. Like his new plans to add similar features to the arch, the mockups raised questions of practicality and engineering realities. It also wasn’t at all clear, from Trump’s post, why the military would need snipers stationed at Arlington National Cemetery — a secure area, but not a high-value military target.

“This is obviously some bizarre effort to wrap this arch idea into national defense,” noted political commentator Chuck Todd on X.

Trump’s efforts to transform the physical landscape of the nation’s capital have become a fixation for the president as his legislative agenda is largely stymied by razor-thin margins on the Hill and his war in Iran, supposedly a quick military “excursion,” in Trump’s words, is now past the six-month point. His slumping approval rating, tied to the war, has left the president with little to show voters beyond tangible efforts to refurbish D.C. landmarks and parks, including the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. He mentions those efforts frequently to voters in both campaign settings and during White House events on unrelated topics as he has sought credit for a rejuvenation of Washington’s public spaces.

At the ‘Great American State Fair’ held on the National Mall this summer as part of America 250 celebrations, visitors could see a 3D artist’s rendering of the planned arch. The plywood structure, which baked in the hot summer sun, began leaking a disgusting yellow substance after several days, drawing jokes on social media.

But some of those projects, most notably including the Reflecting Pool, have become boondoggles of their own for the president as the president has leaned further and further away from dissenting advice and advisers this time around, leaving his White House team more prone to taking bold actions that ultimately result in unsatisfactory outcomes for the president.

Immediately after a court moved to block construction of the ballroom earlier this year, Trump pivoted to describing that project as a security necessity.

“The Circuit Court’s decision, which is totally wrong on the vital subject of STANDING, of which the plaintiff has none, severely jeopardizes the lives and welfare of the people who work, and will be working, at the White House — including all future Presidents of the United States, and their families, as well as the lives of all those visiting,” wrote Trump at the time.

His latest pivot unsurprisingly follows an order from Judge Tanya Chutkan on Thursday reaffirming that the government needs to give a court 48 hours’ notice before beginning construction on the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.