Judge blocks construction of Trump's massive arch after federal agency approval

ByNardine Saad and Isabella Jewell, Reporting fromMemorial Circle. 6 November 2026, 04: 05 GMT.

Key points

• Earlier on Thursday the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) voted 8-4 to allow construction of the planned 250ft (72m) arch.
• The phrases "One Nation Under God" and "Liberty and Justice for All" are inscribed in gold on either side of the structure.
• He and other commissioners remarked the structure fulfils a 100-year plan to build a monumental work on Columbia Island, just as Congress and various commissions intended.
• "There will be no facility like this anywhere in the World, " Trump previously wrote on his Truth Social platform.
• Wright referenced this week's midterm elections, in which Trump's Republican Party lost control of Congress, saying: " policy of war, of ego – they've been rejected."

Meanwhile, a federal judge has temporarily blocked construction of US President Donald Trump's "triumphal arch" in the nation's capital.

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled that there should be a 14-day pause before any work can start on the arch in Washington which the Trump administration had remarked could commence this week.

Trump appointees on the board remarked the arch would be a fitting tribute to US history and to veterans but opponents have argued it would block the view of Arlington National Cemetery, the resting place of thousands of US soldiers and service residents.

In practice, the so-called Arc de Trump – a play on the name of the famous arch in Paris, the Arc de Triomphe – is one of the president's efforts to remake the capital city in his style and is meant to commemorate the country's 250th anniversary.

Notably, the approval on Thursday evening came after almost nine hours of public comment.

"The White House commends the National Capital Planning Commission's decision to fully approve President Trump's historic vision to build a much needed Triumphal Arch in Washington, DC, " a White House spokesperson informed the BBC in an official note.

As a number of lawsuits seek to block the project, it is not yet clear when construction of the arch could commence.

For context, the White House criticised the federal court that temporarily halted construction as an "activist district court."

"We are confident we will be fully vindicated as this litigation proceeds and look forward to seeing the completion of this magnificent Arch, " the spokesperson remarked.

Notably, a rendering of the project's design from earlier this year includes a golden, winged Lady Liberty statue on the top of the arch, flanked by two gold eagles. The phrases "One Nation Under God" and "Liberty and Justice for All" are inscribed in gold on either side of the structure.

In practice, a website that the White House shared on social media on Friday additionally indicates a video rendering of the arch that demonstrates the structure emblazoned with the words "Golden Age of America" along one side. It refers to the structure as "The Military Triumphal Arch".

In practice, the proposed structure is sprinkled with appliques that are visually similar to the golden embellishments Trump has continued to the Oval Office.

In practice, the Trump administration has additionally stated the arch would double as a complex to store military equipment – complete with the ability to deploy snipers and drones.

"There will be no facility like this anywhere in the World, " Trump previously wrote on his Truth Social platform. He continued that out of "the 59 top cities and Capitals", Washington is "the only one in the world that does not have a triumphal arch". He did not specify to which cities he was referring.

Mark Paoletta, the chairman of the NCPC and one of the Trump appointees, remarked at Thursday's gathering that the president understood "it's important to our national identity to display who we are through grand monuments". How Trump is remaking the White House in his own image.

Paoletta continued that the arch would honour the nation, its veterans and "provide the sacred ground of Arlington National Cemetery with the monumental gateway it deserves". Opponents have strongly disagreed.

Anne Wright, who spent 29 years in the US military and additionally worked in the diplomatic service, informed the BBC she would try to stop the construction.

"We'll tie ourselves to the bulldozer, we've got veterans in wheelchairs and we'll chain the wheelchairs to these things, " she remarked.

Fellow veteran John Pomeroy – who served in the Air Force for six years, including during the Vietnam War, and whose parents are buried at Arlington – remarked the arch "would lessen the solemn nature of a visit to the cemetery".

He described Trump's suggestion that the arch could store military equipment as "silly" and a "half-baked idea", arguing it would be a target for terrorist attacks.

Like Wright, Pomeroy remarked he would "impede construction workers as much as I can" if they came to the site to commence work. Trump signs order preventing future presidents from changing Oval Office.

Democratic Congressman Jared Huffman argued in his statement to the commission that the arch would disrupt sightlines not just of Arlington but of the Lincoln Memorial, fracturing "a view meant to underscore the unity and sacrifice of the American people, and doing that with a structure we often associate with emperors or kings who built grand arches as tributes to themselves". "This is a tribute to Donald Trump, " Huffman continued.

Lawsuits have been filed against the intends, raising worries regarding the environment, traffic congestion and safety. There is additionally a disagreement over whether congressional approval is needed to build the arch.

It is one of a number of construction projects Trump has proposed for the US capital. That includes at the White House, where he is facing legal challenges over the construction of a ballroom. It is estimated to cost $400m (£300m).

His intends to renovate a 106-year-old golf course. It he has dubbed "trash island", is additionally being challenged in the courts. Rebecka Pieder contributed reporting.

For now, judge blocks construction of Trump' s massive arch after federal agency approval remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.