(AFP) – US President Donald Trump is no stranger to ambitious construction projects, but could he be eyeing one of his biggest yet? A mock-up of a triumphal arch sat on Trump’s Resolute Desk in the Oval Office as he met Finnish President Alex Stubb on Thursday, an AFP journalist and photographer saw.
The plan, featuring small models on a map, shows the arch sitting on a traffic circle near Arlington Cemetery, on the other side of the Potomac River from the white marble Lincoln Memorial. A second, larger model arch sat on the desk, on which details could be seen more clearly, including a winged golden angel holding aloft a torch, flanked by two white eagles on either side. Both models resembled the famed Arc de Triomphe in Paris, which was commissioned by the French emperor Napoleon in the early 19th century to commemorate fallen soldiers during his military campaigns.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the plan. But the “Donald Trump for President” Facebook page, which has more than six million followers, posted a drawing in September with a virtually identical design in the same spot, linking it to celebrations for the 250th anniversary of US independence next year.
Since returning to power in January, former real estate developer Trump, 79, has enthusiastically embarked on a series of renovation and building projects. For example, he has covered the walls of the previously spartan Oval Office with gold, paintings, and ornaments. And he once interrupted a meeting to wax lyrical about the changes he had made to the White House Cabinet Room, including a long aside about the new drapes.
He is also building a huge ballroom next to the White House, a model of which appeared to be on Trump’s desk in a photo shared by his Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino on Wednesday. The brash Republican has converted parts of the White House to resemble his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, particularly the newly paved-over Rose Garden with its picnic tables and yellow and white umbrellas.
The Republican leader signed an executive order at the end of August to promote “classical” architecture, inspired by ancient Rome and Greece. He has also repeatedly expressed his desire to further celebrate the power and military victories of the United States.
© 2024 AFP
