Donald Trump wants to add snipers and drones to his proposed Triumphal Arch in Washington, D.C.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An article by Seung Min Kim at the Associated Press on September 20, 2026 is titled Trump says his planned arch would become a ‘military complex‘ able to host drones and snipers. The Donald’s Truth Social post claimed:

 

“At the strong request of the United States Military, and for National Security purposes, I have agreed to convert the magnificent Triumphal Arch, planned since the Civil War Era many years ago, at the Receptive Circle adjoining the Arlington Memorial Bridge, into a top grade Military Complex/Triumphal Arch, to house, store, and have the rapid ability to use large numbers of drones, plus Snipers, on both the roof and plaza areas, and additionally have and hold large quantities of sniper ammunition in storage. There will be no facility like this anywhere in the World. Out of the 59 top cities and Capitals, Washington, D.C., IS THE ONLY ONE IN THE WORLD THAT DOES NOT HAVE A TRIUMPHAL ARCH, but it will now and, by far, the greatest of them all! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP”

 

He didn’t say who in the military had made that request. I suspect instead he just made it up to sound defense related. I have added eight snipers to an image of the proposed 150-foot high arch, as shown above.

 

But Trump is mistaken about there not already being a triumphal arch in D.C. The World War II Memorial already has a pair of arches, described in a Wikipedia page:

 

“The memorial consists of 56 granite pillars, each 17 feet (5.2 m) tall, arranged in a semicircle around a plaza with two 43-foot (13 m) triumphal arches on opposite sides.”

 

Another article by Mike Glenn at The Washington Times on September 21, 2026 is titled ‘Obviously idiotic: Trump’s plan for drones, snipers at the ‘Triumphal Arch’ gets a cold reception. And in still another article on September 21, 2026 by Mia McCarthy at Politico titled Senior GOP appropriator pours cold water on funding Trump’s arch, our Idaho congressional representative Mike Simpson said if it was his choice, he would not put any military funding into that arch.  And yet another article by Ellen Mitchell at The Hill on September 25, 2026 is titled ‘Gonzo bonkers’: Trump’s plan to militarize triumphal arch sparks pushback.