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The White House · Report · File No. 261111-316

On Veterans Day, Trump says his 250-foot arch will honor veterans as suits mount

Trump said at Arlington National Cemetery that the arch he wants built would be dedicated to veterans. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the project, and Kennedy family members have joined the legal fight.

By the White House Desk · · 2 min read

Every quote in this story (2) was matched word for word against its source. How we work

My clippings
Donald Trump
Donald Trump. Photo: Daniel Torok, Public domain

President Donald Trump marked Veterans Day by suggesting that the towering arch he wants built in his own honor would also be dedicated to the U.S. military and those who served in it, the Associated Press reported. He spoke at the annual ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday 1.

Donald Trump
And soon we're going to dedicate a magnificent triumphal arc to our veterans,
Donald Trump, President, Republican1

The new framing comes as the project faces court challenges. Three veterans have sued to stop it, and a federal court has temporarily blocked construction 1. Some military groups have cheered the arch, but many others have opposed it or joined efforts to stop it 1.

On tapeAssociated Press · Nov 11
Trump speaks at Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day, honoring veterans and touting his proposed triumphal arch in Washington.Video: Associated Press on YouTube, “Trump says it was 'about time' somebody 'fought back' Iran in Veterans Day speech”. It plays from YouTube when you press play.

The legal fight

Last week, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a temporary restraining order. It bars work on the arch for 14 days 1.

Nine members of the Kennedy family have also joined a lawsuit to stop the project. They argue the 250-foot arch would cast a shadow over the Arlington gravesites of their relatives 12. They are children and grandchildren of the late Sens. Robert F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy 2.

From Channel GOPTrump dodges rigged-election question, calls Massie loserDonald Trump · 525 plays · captioned, with the source named

Norm Eisen, an attorney for the Democracy Defenders Fund, which represents the family, says the arch would be a permanent denigration of the gravesites. He also says it would deface the memories of all veterans buried at Arlington 2. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's Health and Human Services secretary, is not part of the suit 2.

Norm Eisen
Building this arch is illegal.
Norm Eisen, Attorney for the Democracy Defenders Fund and the Kennedy family members2

What the arch is, and what is unknown

Trump has said for months that the arch, planned near Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial, would be inspired by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. He has said it might be called the "Arc de Trump" 1. He has also insisted Washington has wanted such a structure for centuries, which the AP says is not true 1.

On tapeFOX 5 Washington DC · Nov 11
Nine Kennedy family members intervene in lawsuits over the proposed 250-foot arch; Judge Chutkan barred preliminary site work for 14 days.Video: FOX 5 Washington DC on YouTube, “Kennedy family asks federal judge to block Trump's proposed memorial arch”. It plays from YouTube when you press play.

The arch won approval from oversight boards stacked with members Trump chose 1. The White House has kept promoting it, including with a new website calling it the United States Military Triumphal Arch 1.

The site says the plans call for columns that store munitions and for a sniper's nest. It also says the base would be designed to launch drones 1. It does not say what the arch would cost or how it would be paid for, though some estimates reach as high as $100 million 1.

What happens next

Democrats take control of Congress after big wins in last week's midterm elections. The AP says that means Trump's building projects will face far more scrutiny and roadblocks. Those projects include the arch, the White House ballroom, a remade public golf course and his effort to put his name on the Kennedy Center 1.

That matters because the arch's backers are now describing it as a tribute to veterans. Meanwhile, veterans and the families of those buried at Arlington are among those asking courts to stop it. The 14-day restraining order is temporary, and the courts have not yet ruled on the larger claims.

The Record

  1. The National Capital Planning Commission met to consider approval of the proposed 250-foot arch 1.
  2. Trump says at Arlington National Cemetery that the arch will be dedicated to veterans 1.
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Sources

  1. PBS NewsHour / AP, “Trump says the towering arch he wants to be build might be dedicated to military veterans” (2026-11-11). pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-says-the-towering-arch-he-wa
  2. NPR, “KENNEDYS & TRUMP ARCH” (2026-11-11). npr.org/2026/11/11/nx-s1-6036845/kennedys-trump-arch

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