Trump, the divider and liar-in-chief, is attempting to construct his Ego Arch at a location that is the historical site of the reconciliation and unification of the United States after the Civil War.
No matter how much Trump claims the Arch is for the 250th Anniversary of the United States, we all know it will be the monument to Donald Trump’s attempted make-over of the U.S. government and the City of Washington, DC—just remember the destruction without permission of the East Wing of the White House and the attempted demolition of the Kennedy Center.
It would also be the memory of Trump’s pardon of his January 6 “Stolen Election” rioters who injured many Capitol Hill police and caused major damage to the U.S. Capitol building.
This would not be an “Arc d Triomph”, but rather an “Arch to Narcissism.”
Trump’s Rewriting of History
We must push back against any attempt by the Trump administration to rewrite the history of the Memorial Bridge. We have seen that Trump’s cultural war on the history of the United States has already resulted in dramatic changes in the wording on many historical exhibits at the Smithsonian museums, particularly those that describe the horrific effects of slavery on our nation.
In July 2026, world-renown historian, President Trump ordered warning signs and exhibits installed outside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History to alert the public that the museum does not, in his view, accurately reflect American history.
Arlington Memorial Bridge is much more than a bridge. It is a Memorial to the Reunification of the United States After the Civil War.
The National Park’s current description of the Memorial Bridge on the display panels leading from Memorial Circle to the west toward Arlington Cemetery reads: “The bridge was envisioned as both as physical and symbolic bridge between the northern and southern forces that fought so bitterly during the U.S. Civil War. The Potomac River divided the northern states and the southern states during that bloody struggle between 1861 and 1865.
The bridge exhibits the enduring strength of the American union, joining the Lincoln Memorial to Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial. It stands as a Memorial to the final triumph of the idea of a permanent and complete union.”
A symbol of reconciliation
Another National Park display panel at the entrance to the Memorial Bridge and Circle reads, “On one side of the Arlington Memorial Bridge stands the column portico of Arlington House, the pre–Civil War home of Robert E. Lee. In that home, Lee made his decision to resign his US Army commission. He became the Commanding General of Confederate forces and nearly succeeded in permanently breaking the American union.”
“On the other side is the Lincoln Memorial, built to honor the 16th president of the United States, who led the American public through four years of war, and ultimately preserved the union. Despite the anger and bitterness of many Americans, North and South, joined and the United States would go on to become overall power.”
“The bridge was built to serve as a symbol of national reconciliation that occurred after the bloodshed and tragedy of Civil War. Today it is a national memorial to valor and sacrifice, connecting the Lincoln, Memorial and the National mall with the Robert E Lee, Memorial and Arlington national Cemetery.”
“Bonespurs” Trump Called U.S. Military “Losers”
For racist President Donald Trump to build a monument to himself, for that is exactly what it would be, is a sacrilege to both the history of the bridge and to the history of Arlington National Cemetery to which the Memorial Bridge leads.
Arlington National Cemetery contains he remains of many generations of military members and their families. “Bonespurs” Trump, who got five deferments for military service, has referred to those who did serve in the military as “losers and suckers” especially U.S. prisoners of war such as Senator and Presidential candidate John McCain.
An arch built for the ego of Donald Trump, standing 250 feet tall, would block the historic view of the Potomac and Lincoln Memorial, and views of the Arlington National Cemetery.
National Park Service Says the Arch will Adversely Affect Arlington National Cemetery and other Historic Sites
On September 16, 2026, National Park Service officials agreed that the arch would adversely affect the cemetery, the Lincoln Memorial and several dozen other historic sites. The “adverse effects cannot be fully avoided,” Park Service officials wrote in a document circulated on September 15, 2026. But, according to the National Park Service document, the project cannot be constructed somewhere else because “the proposed location at Memorial Circle is central to the undertaking.”
Call to Activists to the Memorial Circle to Prevent the Construction of the Trump Ego Arch
Activists in the Washington, DC, and Northern Virginia area have been protesting the potential construction of the 250 foot Arch for months. In May 2026, Third Act DMV had a three day demonstration near the Lincoln Memorial against the arch. Organizers emphasized that the planned 250-foot arch has no business being built and that “democracies do not build memorials to living presidents.”
This week, activists from the DNV have had twice daily vigils on the Memorial Circle during the traffic rush hours 7-9am and 5-6pm to remind commuters that their traffic route would be messed up for years during the construction of the arch and the views of Washington permanently destroyed. Retired US Army Colonel Ann Wright flew from Hawaii to be at the daily vigil.
Veterans and military families have been outspoken in their condemnation of the Ego Arch. Retired Major General Paul Eaton spoke forcefully against the Arch. Gold Star mother Karen Meredith said she was “appalled” at the idea of the Arch so near to Arlington Cemetery. Her son was killed in Iraq and is buried there.
Veterans For Peace has a banner reading: “Vets Say NO to Trump’s Golden Arch. Over My Dead Body” with a photo of the graves in Arlington Cemetery.
Third Act DMV will continue to protest to stop any ground-breaking for the extremely controversial Arch.
Ann Wright served 29 years in the US Army/Army Reserves and retired as a Colonel. She was a U.S. diplomat for 16 years and worked in U.S. Embassies in Nicaragua, Grenada, Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Sierra Leone, Micronesia, Afghanistan and Mongolia. She resigned from the U.S. government in March 2003 in opposition to the U.S. war on Iraq.
