President Trump wants a triumphal arch to be built in Washington, D.C., on a traffic circle between the entrance to the Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial. The Commission of Fine Arts gave the arch plans preliminary approval, with some suggested changes, despite overwhelming public disapproval of the project.

Designers, architects, and critics, like the Washington Post’s culture critic Philip Kennicott, don’t like the arch’s design, size, location, or the way it disrupts the careful planning and tone of central Washington, D.C.

Here & Now‘s Scott Tong speaks with Kennicott, culture critic for the Washington Post, about this project and the way the monuments and spaces in Washington, D.C., are meant to reflect American ideals and values.

This segment aired on April 20, 2026.