Trump says he wants proposed arch to be world's "biggest"

Washington — President Trump says helium wants the caller triumphal arch he's commissioning arsenic a gross to Washington, D.C., to beryllium the "biggest 1 of all" successful the world, adjacent though the projected tract is situated on a formation way for adjacent Reagan National Airport successful Arlington, Virginia. 

The Washington Post reported implicit the play that the president wants to physique a 250-foot arch, aligning with the 250th day of the country, which would dwarf adjacent the the tallest triumphal arch successful the world, the 220-foot-tall Monumento a la Revolución successful Mexico City.  For comparison, the Lincoln Memorial, which sits other the Memorial Bridge of the would-be arch site, is 99 feet tall. 

"I'd similar it to beryllium the biggest 1 of all," Trump told reporters connected Air Force One Sunday night. "We're the biggest, astir almighty nation."

Planes can't transverse implicit the National Mall successful Washington owed to formation restrictions, and the aforesaid is existent of the Pentagon, truthful existent flights paths permission them to travel the Potomac River, astatine comparatively debased heights. 

CBS News reached retired to the Federal Aviation Administration astir the DCA formation path, but owed to the authorities shutdown, does not expect to person a effect until aft the authorities reopens. 

"The arch is going to beryllium 1 of the astir iconic landmarks not lone successful Washington, D.C., but passim the world," said White House spokesperson Davis Ingle. "President Trump's bold imaginativeness volition beryllium imprinted upon the cloth of America and beryllium felt by generations to come. His successes volition proceed to springiness the top federation connected world — America — the glory it deserves."

It appears thing astir the arch task has been submitted to the FAA's Obstruction Evaluation/Airport Airspace Analysis site. 

Mr. Trump announced his plans for a caller triumphal arch past year, and showed a exemplary to reporters successful October. On Jan. 23, the president posted images of an arch to Truth Social, without comment. The president told Politico successful December that helium hoped operation connected the task would statesman successful 2 months. It's not wide however overmuch the task volition cost. 

President Trump speaks successful the Oval Office astatine the White House, with a exemplary of the "Independence Arch" displayed connected the table successful the foreground, connected Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025. John McDonnell / AP

DCA formation paths person already been nether aggravated scrutiny pursuing the deadly January 2025 crash successful which a Black Hawk chopper collided with a commercialized American Airlines level implicit the Potomac River. A full of 67 radical died successful the deadliest commercialized clang successful the U.S. successful years. The chopper was flying astatine 278 feet supra the river, higher than its required maximum altitude of 200 feet, and collided with the plane. The U.S. authorities admitted liability successful December. 

The president's plans for the arch travel arsenic helium announced implicit the play that the Kennedy Center, pending support of the Trump-allied board, volition shut down for 2 years for construction, arsenic helium looks to alteration cardinal pieces of national architecture. 

Olivia Rinaldi, Kathryn Krupnik and Sarah Ploss contributed to this report.