President Trump unveils his vision for the Arc de Triomphe-style arch near the Lincoln Memorial
The landscape of Washington, DC could soon feature a new monument featuring the president Donald Trump unveiling the idea at a White House dinner for donors.
Trump said the arch would commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence next year.
“We have a lot of legends in the room tonight and that’s why we’re here to celebrate you, because you gave a tremendous amount of money to see a ballroom built in the White House for the first time,” Trump told donors.
“The White House wanted to have a ballroom for over 150 years, but it never happened because they never had a real estate person.”
Trump showed donors three different sizes of a 3D model of a giant arch, similar to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. However, this one will have Lady Liberty, in gold, at the top. He also revealed that the proposed location for the arch was across from the Lincoln Memorial.
“So that circle – that’s Arlington Memorial Bridge,” Trump said. “And at the end you have a circle that was built 150 years ago. They put two columns on one side. Two columns on the other side, but all you have in the middle is a circle, and everyone walking by said something should be built there… but something called the Civil War intervened. That’s a good reason.”
New ballroom
Trump’s original idea was shared with a rendering of the new $200 million White House ballroom in the background.
The president said the East Room is the largest room in the White House and described the future space as “phenomenal” and “one of the best in the world.”
He also described the new ballroom as having four sides of “bulletproof” glass that was “completely appropriate in color and window shape.”
The new addition is approximately 90,000 square feet. Trump said the ballroom would seat 999 people. Currently, only 200 people are allowed in the White House East Wing event space.
Rose garden
In between running the country, Trump also decided to redesign the Rose Garden, much to the dismay of critics who did not want an overhaul of the space installed by the former first lady in 1913. Ellen Louise Wilsonwife of president Woodrow Wilson.
The grassy space was one of the most iconic areas of the White House, made famous by the rose bushes that lined the landscaped lawn.
Last spring, Trump announced he would start paving over it to make it safer and more convenient for people attending events — especially women who wear high heels.
In September, the president was scheduled to host the opening event in the new White House Rose Garden. It was supposed to be a gathering of some of the country’s richest and most powerful businessmen, but heavy rain put a damper on that idea and the lavish dinner was moved indoors.
