How National Security Became Central to Trump’s D.C. Construction Projects

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that his proposed “triumphal arch”—which is planned for Memorial Circle near the Virginia end of Arlington Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C.—will serve as a military complex with drones, ammunition storage, and sniper facilities.“There will be no facility like this anywhere in the World,” he wrote on Truth Social, adding that the arch would “house, store, and have the rapid ability to use large numbers of drones” and that there would be snipers “on both the roof and plaza areas.”The announcement comes almost a year after he debuted a model of the 250-foot arch in the Oval Office on Oct. 15, 2025. In his initial proposal, Trump said that the arch was meant to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary.Trump has also argued the arch is significant because it brings the United States on par with other world capitals featuring similar monuments. He emphasized that point again on Sunday, writing: “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.”Trump did not identify the 59 cities he was referring to or explain the basis...