A rendering of President Donald Trump’s proposed triumphal arch shows a gold, winged Statue of Liberty atop the structure, with gold eagles on either side. A federal judge temporarily blocked construction for 14 days. (Foto: Instagram)
A federal judge has temporarily blocked construction of a triumphal arch proposed by President Donald Trump, issuing a 14-day order shortly after a federal commission approved the project. The proposed site, next to Arlington National Cemetery, where members of the U.S. armed forces are buried, has been a major source of controversy.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan said the government failed to follow required procedural steps in approving the project. The National Capital Planning Commission approved the arch on the evening of Nov. 5, 2026, after hours of public testimony, most of it opposed to the plan.
The proposed structure would stand 76 meters tall, making it considerably taller than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, which served as its inspiration. The White House has argued that Congress authorized the arch in a 1925 law.
A rendering of the design presented earlier this year depicts a gold, winged Statue of Liberty atop the arch, with two gold eagles beside it. The structure would bear the inscriptions “One Nation Under God” and “Liberty and Justice for All.” Trump described the project on social media, writing that “there will be no installation like this anywhere else in the world.”
