Vets sue to block construction of 'Arc de Trump'

WASHINGTON (CN) — A group of Vietnam War veterans and an architectural historian sued the Trump administration on Thursday, challenging President Donald Trump’s effort to construct a 250-foot “Independence Arch” at the western edge of the National Mall.

The three veterans and the expert, represented by Public Citizen, filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia asking a judge to block the construction at Memorial Circle — between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery — until the administration receives congressional approval.

Veterans Michael Lemmon, Shaun Byrnes and Jon Gunderson, and retired senior architectural historian for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources Calder Roth, warn that the arch — set for completion by the nation’s 250th anniversary on July 4 — will clash with the two memorials’ message of unity after the Civil War.

“It will block historically significant reciprocal views between those two memorials that were consciously designed and that have existed for nearly a century,” the group said in the 19-page lawsuit. “With the erection of the arch, Arlington House will no longer be visible from the Lincoln Memorial, and the view of the Lincoln Memorial from Arlington House will be obscured, disrupting the historic and symbolic link between the two.”

Trump announced the plan in October 2025 and tapped Nicolas Leo Charbonneau, of architecture firm Harrison Design to lead the project along with Vince Haley, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. In December, Trump stated the arch would be like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and that construction was expected to begin in the next two months.

The group says Trump’s announcement violates the Commemorative Works Act of 1986, through which Congress created a detailed, multistep process for authorizing any monument, sculpture or memorial in Washington on federal land administered by the National Park Service or the General Services Administration. The first step must be specific authorization by Congress, which then designates a sponsor in charge of establishing the work.

In 2002, Congress reinforced its oversight authority by passing a statutory prohibition on construction of any building or structure on any federal ground in Washington without its express authority.

Wendy Liu, attorney with Public Citizen Litigation Group and lead counsel in the case, said in a statement that the “Arc de Trump” has clearly failed to obtain the first legal step necessary for construction.

“President Trump’s plan to erect a monument in Memorial Circle without the approval of Congress is flatly unlawful,” Liu said. “We are calling on the court to block this unlawful project.”

Byrnes, a U.S. Navy veteran who served in Vietnam and as head of the U.S. Diplomatic Observer Mission before and during NATO’s 1999 intervention in Kosovo, slammed the proposed arch as a “massive expression of domination.”

“I was stunned by the unexpected announcement that the administration planned to build a huge monument on the hallowed ground below Arlington National Cemetery that will break the visual link between the cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial that symbolized the rebirth of our nation after the bloody Civil War without requesting and receiving authorization from Congress, a statutory requirement,” Byrnes said.

“I fear this massive expression of domination will overshadow the values and spirit of those who valiantly served our country and lie in Arlington National Cemetery: duty, honor, sacrifice and love of country.”

According to the veterans, the arch could also become a hazard to air travel at the nearby Ronald Reagan National Airport, noting the administration has not submitted anything to the Federal Aviation Administration’s Obstruction Evaluation/Airport Airspace Analysis site.

The group says Trump has indicated he would use donations from private donors to pay for the arch’s construction, including funds that had been donated to construct the White House ballroom.

Private donations will go to Freedom 250, created by and housed within the National Park Foundation, to fund the arch’s construction and other projects meant to commemorate America’s 250th.

“Donors who give at least $1 million to Freedom 250 reportedly will get access to President Trump and other perks,” the group says.

The Independence Arch is the latest example of Trump moving to reshape the nation’s capital in his image, including the demolition of the White House East Wing to make way for the ballroom and the installment of several banners at federal agencies depicting his official portrait. The Justice Department was the latest agency to install such a banner on Thursday, further displaying the president’s control of an agency meant to be independent from the White House.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Follow @Ryan_Knappy