In the heart of the U.S. capital, a piece of the White House was demolished – and along with it, the public’s support. As blueprints for a massive new monument emerge, it’s clear that the President is less interested in governing the country than carving his power into it.
In October of 2025, the Trump Administration wrecked the East Wing of the Presidential residence leaving a massive plot of land, raising many questions surrounding the ‘remodeling’. Interestingly enough, there was no explicit congressional approval for the removal of the wing nor what eyesore was about to be built.
What previously housed the Office of the First Lady and the White House Social Office is to be remodeled into a massive 90,000 square foot ballroom intended for holding state dinners and formal gatherings. This was all accompanied by an underground bunker, bulletproof windows, missile-proof columns and drone-resistant roofing.
The $400 million project is funded by President Donald Trump and a series of private donors. This, in turn, shifts the expansion from a shared national advancement to an exclusive, privately held project.
Studies conducted by The New York Times reveal the confusing nature of the blueprints. With a staircase leading to nowhere and columns obstructing visitors’ view of the courtyard, the hurried publication of such plans showcased the need for public intervention. No project of a publicly owned landmark should reflect the vision of just one person.
Judge Richard Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, blocked the administration’s plans multiple times. President Trump argued that the ballroom should be built because the project was necessary for the safety and security of the White House. He strategically marketed the expansion in order to appeal to security enthusiasts and not those skeptical of expanded executive power. Mr. Trump attempted to overrule Leon’s decision, later posting on Truth Social that his ruling was a “mockery to our Court System!”
The President didn’t stop there.
On April 15, Mr. Trump revealed the plans for the “Triumphal Arch,” which is to be built in Washington DC later this year. Modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the American monument will be nearly 100 feet taller. Original plans suggest the arch to be 76 feet, commemorating the year of American independence. However, once compared to the Paris replica – standing at 164 feet – the Administration once again decided that second place wasn’t enough. When Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt presented the plans once again, the public was astonished with the new blueprints: the Triumphal Arch will now stand at 250 feet, representing the 250th birthday of the country. It will surpass most monuments and buildings including the White House and Lincoln Memorial. Once again, there is yet to be congressional approval.
The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, whose members were all elected by President Trump, subsequently approved the proposal. Here, they act as the official design advisors for the nation’s capital, responsible for protecting the city’s aesthetic while shaping and preserving its character.
Expected to be built in the summer of this year, the atrocity will be located in the Memorial Circle directly across the Potomac river from the Lincoln Memorial. Although it is designed to represent “the enduring triumph of the American spirit” and serve as a celebratory gateway for the people of the United States, it will conveniently block the view of the Arlington National Cemetery.
Three Vietnam veterans are now suing the Trump Administration for the monument’s location saying that destroying the sightline between President Lincoln’s Memorial and the cemetery would undermine their service to the country. They seek to halt the project’s plans until it is congressionally approved, giving lawmakers time to reconsider. As a result, it would dwarf the Memorial and dishonor the veterans who rest in the cemetery.
While both the White House ballroom and Triumphal Arch are supposed to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our independence, they directly reflect the president’s apparent belief that “bigger is better” with little regard for the people and places he may overshadow. Both structures continue to have no governmental approval and simply aid the President’s own agenda for what he envisions America to look like. By the end of his second term, will it be too late to return to the way it is now?