Judge Puts Trump's DC Arch Plan Under Close Scrutiny
Does this stop the unnecessary building of a monument to Trump's ego or does it block a necessary defensive structure?
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Above: Trump holds a picture of the proposed Triumphal Arch at the White House on April 6. Image credit: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images
The Facts
- A federal judge Monday ordered the Trump administration to report within one hour any decisions related to President Donald Trump's proposed Triumphal Arch by the National Capital Planning Commission, the National Park Service or the Interior Department, and within 30 minutes any construction activity.
- Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued in federal court Saturday, arguing that the administration would inflict irreparable harm on both jurisdictions as soon as it breaks ground at Memorial Circle.
- U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan consolidated that case with a suit brought by three Vietnam veterans and an architectural historian, while the Arlington County Board filed a separate challenge in Virginia in early October claiming the project skipped a proper environmental review.
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The Spin
Anti-Trump narrative
This confirms that local leaders fighting this eyesore stand on firm legal and moral ground. A gilded monument to one man's ego has no business looming over the view from the Lincoln Memorial to the graves of America's war dead. Strongmen build arches to themselves and a republic honors sacrifice without gold leaf and bragging.
Pro-Trump narrative
Second-guessing military necessity from the judicial bench is a dangerous habit that leaves the capital exposed. Washington is a prime target, so a hardened structure built for drone defense, sniper perches and ammunition storage fills a real gap in the capital's protection. Nearly every other major capital manages grand architecture without litigious hysterics.
