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Dozens rally at Memorial Circle in Washington against Trump's 250-foot arch plan
On Oct. 1, dozens of veterans, lawmakers and activists rallied at Memorial Circle next to Arlington National Cemetery against Trump's proposed 250-foot triumphal arch, calling it a "vanity project" lacking congressional approval.
Why it matters
This is the latest round of public pushback against Trump's plan to build a 250-foot (about 76-metre) triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery. Critics cite its scale and cost, the lack of congressional approval, and its intrusion on the view between the cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial.
Public Citizen, which helped organize the rally, is representing three Vietnam War veterans and an architectural historian in a lawsuit challenging the plan.
Full report
On October 1, dozens of veterans, retirees and lawmakers gathered at Memorial Circle in Washington, D.C., at rush hour to protest the arch planned next to Arlington National Cemetery. Billed as "Vets over Vanity" and organized in part by Public Citizen, the rally featured a tarp mockup of the structure; organizers said the real arch would stand 32 times taller.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), an Iraq War veteran, told the crowd she was "pissed" that Trump dares to "dishonor" the service members resting at Arlington. Jon Gundersen, a retired Army veteran and former Foreign Service officer, called it "the wrong monument, in the wrong place, at the wrong time, dedicated to the wrong man."
Trump recently said the arch would also serve as a military facility housing drones, snipers and ammunition; the White House says it will "enhance the visitor experience." The protest came a little more than a month before the November 3 midterm elections.
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