a gesture of vanity twice as tall as the Lincoln Memorial

The Trump Administration made public this Friday the designs of the triumphal arch that he intends to build in Washington and that it is part of the series of constructions and remodeling that the president has ordered to carry out within the framework of the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States.

The sketches, prepared by Harrison Design They were presented by the Department of the Interior and feature a golden inscription with the phrase “One Nation Under God” on the arch, crowned by a winged statue of Lady Liberty and flanked at its base by sculptures of four golden lions.

The arch, which would have more than 75 metersaims to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States and would be installed on a small plot of land between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.

Expert urban planners and architects have warned of the distortion that the monument would imply for the emblematic area, since the arch would be more than twice the size of the Lincoln Memorial (approximately 30 meters high) and would also rise above the nearby cemetery, leaving it without views.

The plans will be presented by the Administration to the Fine Arts Commission, made up of experts close to Trump who will review the proposal next Thursday.

In addition to urban doubts, controversy has accompanied the project since Trump made public his intention to build the arch in the capital of the United States because he considered it a gesture of vanity inappropriate for a 20th century politicianI y closest to monuments commissioned by authoritarian leaders.

“I would like it to be the biggest arch of all,” Trump told reporters in January, referring to the 50-meter Arc de Triomphe in Paris, adding that “we are the greatest and most powerful nation.”

During his second term, Trump has prioritized several construction projects in Washington, but these have generated controversy and rejection.

Last month, uA federal judge halted the president’s project to build a ballroom in the White House worth $400 million, arguing that the administration would have had to ask Congress for permission, even though the East Wing of the White House has already been demolished.