{"id":17712,"date":"2026-09-28T11:35:28","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T03:35:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=17712"},"modified":"2026-09-28T11:35:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T03:35:44","slug":"gonzo-bonkers-trumps-plan-to-militarize-triumphal-arch-sparks-pushback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=17712","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Gonzo bonkers\u2019: Trump\u2019s plan to militarize triumphal arch sparks pushback"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"530\" height=\"239\" src=\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/160.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/160.png 530w, https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/160-300x135.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lawmakers and analysts alike are perplexed by President Trump\u2019s surprise declaration that his proposed triumphal arch will house \u201ca top grade military complex\u201d in addition to tourist attractions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump over the weekend claimed the structure, to be built between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial, will \u201chouse, store, and have the rapid ability to use large numbers of drones, plus Snipers, on both the roof and plaza areas,\u201d as well as store \u201clarge quantities\u201d of ammunition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Critics are dubious the administration can successfully argue in favor of such military measures for the arch, given its proximity to the Pentagon and several nearby bases and barracks. The changes needed to make the proposed 250-foot structure into a military site would also require new analysis from federal departments for ultimate approval, even as the Trump administration has sought to bulldoze ahead on construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Michael O\u2019Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank, said at first blush, adding military elements to the arch \u201cis not totally fictional or crazy \u2014 but also not optimal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the arch being close to the White House, Congress and the Pentagon, it could conceivably help defend the buildings from drones \u2014 albeit with target detection, radars and other receivers atop the structure rather than be used to launch U.S. drones, he told The Hill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>O\u2019Hanlon added that a technical analysis of military options and alternatives for the location would likely need to be done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump claimed the changes were being made at the \u201cstrong request\u201d of the U.S. military. Asked whether the Defense Department had requested the arch also double as a military complex, a Pentagon spokesperson on Thursday said they had nothing to provide beyond Trump\u2019s Truth Social post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Critics have particularly latched onto the fact that Trump\u2019s new military plans for the monument would have explosive ammunition stored and drones launched from the middle of a busy traffic circle and close to the city\u2019s airport, adding avoidable safety risks into the mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), whose district includes Arlington, its National Cemetery and Reagan Washington National Airport, on Tuesday decried putting a drone launching site directly in the landing path for the city\u2019s airport, calling it \u201ca stupid, dangerous, and unworkable idea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Safety worries are not without warrant, as Washington crowded airspace led to the deadly January 2025 collision of an American Airlines commercial plane with an Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River, a half mile from National Airport. All 67 people aboard both aircraft were killed in the crash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTrump\u2019s notion to make his vanity arch an ammunition depot for \u2018snipers\u2019 in a location where snipers have never been needed would place a large weapons cache within feet of thousands of tourists, pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers on major commuter traffic thoroughfares and Metro\u2019s Blue Line,\u201d Beyer said in a statement, adding that such work would necessitate a redo of all prior impact and safety studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyer plans to join an Oct. 1 protest outside Memorial Circle, organized by nonprofit Public Citizen, during which military veterans and others will demand the administration withdraw its plans to build the arch \u201cand instead focus on real issues that affect our active military members, veterans and all Americans,\u201d the group announced Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Others have pointed to the Pentagon\u2019s already strained budget as reason enough to put the brakes on the arch\u2019s construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), a senior member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, has questioned whether federal funds should be used to build it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of things that we need the military funding for, in fact, we\u2019re short on military funding right now,\u201d Simpson told reporters Monday, adding that he hoped administration officials \u201cwould come to Congress and ask for an appropriation for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf it was my choice, I wouldn\u2019t put any of that money into the arch,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The arch\u2019s new designation as a military site upends Trump\u2019s original vision for the structure, unveiled last October and meant to honor \u201cme,\u201d the president told reporters at the time. The administration had since insisted the arch is in honor of the United States\u2019s 250th anniversary and a tourist attraction \u2014 until this past weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The National Park Service\u2019s proposals for the structure were approved in May by the heavily Trump-appointed Commission of Fine Arts, but the project would ultimately need approval from the National Capital Planning Commission \u2014 something that can\u2019t happen until the completion of federally required historic preservation reviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The White House, Interior Department and the National Park Service did not respond to questions from The Hill as to whether the administration will submit new proposals for the arch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also in the mix are the results of a monthlong Federal Aviation Administration evaluation, released on Friday, which concluded that the arch would not pose a risk to airspace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Beyer pointed out that the review did not take into account the presence of military drones and that if Trump wants to move forward with his new plans, \u201cthe FAA\u2019s prior work over the past six months to rubber stamp this proposal with a dubious safety study will be obsolete, and they will have to do it all over again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other critics say Trump is abusing naming national security as justification for unpopular projects, as he did with construction of the White House ballroom. The president has insisted the ballroom is necessary for national security as it will include a military complex underneath. The Supreme Court earlier this month ruled that construction was allowed to continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">John Bolton, Trump\u2019s former national security adviser, said the president\u2019s idea is \u201cnot just wrong, it\u2019s gonzo bonkers, it\u2019s just completely divorced from reality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat arch is going to be in the middle of a traffic circle. I don\u2019t know what it\u2019s defending against,\u201d Bolton said Tuesday on MS NOW. \u201cI think Trump\u2019s just abusing the concept of national security. He thinks he\u2019ll get deference by the judiciary if he can say the ballroom, the arch, the who knows what else is fundamentally for national security. The courts have got to look through that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.), the senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, soon after the announcement said Americans were \u201csick of the military being used as an excuse for Trump\u2019s architectural whims and narcissistic fancies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDoes Trump understand no one wants his stupid arch?\u201d Raskin wrote Monday on the social platform X. \u201cDressing it up as a military necessity doesn\u2019t help.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lawmakers and analysts alike are perplexed by President Trump\u2019s surprise declaration that his proposed triumphal arch will house \u201ca top grade military complex\u201d in addition to tourist attractions. Trump over the weekend claimed the structure, to be built between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial, will \u201chouse, store, and have the rapid ability to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":17720,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[1724,61],"class_list":["post-17712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","tag-trump","tag-usa"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>\u2018Gonzo bonkers\u2019: Trump\u2019s plan to militarize triumphal arch sparks pushback - LISTEN WORLD<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=17712\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Gonzo bonkers\u2019: Trump\u2019s plan to militarize triumphal arch sparks pushback - LISTEN WORLD\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Lawmakers and analysts alike are perplexed by President Trump\u2019s surprise declaration that his proposed triumphal arch will house \u201ca top grade military complex\u201d in addition to tourist attractions. Trump over the weekend claimed the structure, to be built between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial, will \u201chouse, store, and have the rapid ability to [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=17712\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"LISTEN WORLD\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-28T03:35:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-28T03:35:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/160.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"530\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"239\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Susan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/\",\"name\":\"LISTEN WORLD\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=17712#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/160.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/160.png\",\"width\":530,\"height\":239},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=17712#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=17712\",\"name\":\"\u2018Gonzo bonkers\u2019: Trump\u2019s plan to militarize triumphal arch sparks pushback - LISTEN WORLD\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=17712#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-28T03:35:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-28T03:35:44+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/#\/schema\/person\/498ae6e9ab176e1d69d1e7eca8de7977\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=17712#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=17712\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=17712#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"\u9996\u9875\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u2018Gonzo bonkers\u2019: Trump\u2019s plan to militarize triumphal arch sparks pushback\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/#\/schema\/person\/498ae6e9ab176e1d69d1e7eca8de7977\",\"name\":\"Susan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5b524a019e7b5d16b90d0eee2bd96558a7a5ffc499732f852410f53bc0a7e251?s=96&d=wavatar&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5b524a019e7b5d16b90d0eee2bd96558a7a5ffc499732f852410f53bc0a7e251?s=96&d=wavatar&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Susan\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?author=7\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u2018Gonzo bonkers\u2019: Trump\u2019s plan to militarize triumphal arch sparks pushback - LISTEN WORLD","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=17712","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u2018Gonzo bonkers\u2019: Trump\u2019s plan to militarize triumphal arch sparks pushback - LISTEN WORLD","og_description":"Lawmakers and analysts alike are perplexed by President Trump\u2019s surprise declaration that his proposed triumphal arch will house \u201ca top grade military complex\u201d in addition to tourist attractions. Trump over the weekend claimed the structure, to be built between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial, will \u201chouse, store, and have the rapid ability to [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=17712","og_site_name":"LISTEN WORLD","article_published_time":"2026-09-28T03:35:28+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-09-28T03:35:44+00:00","og_image":[{"width":530,"height":239,"url":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/160.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Susan","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/#website","url":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/","name":"LISTEN WORLD","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=17712#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/160.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/160.png","width":530,"height":239},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=17712#webpage","url":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=17712","name":"\u2018Gonzo bonkers\u2019: Trump\u2019s plan to militarize triumphal arch sparks pushback - LISTEN WORLD","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=17712#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2026-09-28T03:35:28+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-28T03:35:44+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/#\/schema\/person\/498ae6e9ab176e1d69d1e7eca8de7977"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=17712#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=17712"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=17712#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"\u9996\u9875","item":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u2018Gonzo bonkers\u2019: Trump\u2019s plan to militarize triumphal arch sparks pushback"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/#\/schema\/person\/498ae6e9ab176e1d69d1e7eca8de7977","name":"Susan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5b524a019e7b5d16b90d0eee2bd96558a7a5ffc499732f852410f53bc0a7e251?s=96&d=wavatar&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5b524a019e7b5d16b90d0eee2bd96558a7a5ffc499732f852410f53bc0a7e251?s=96&d=wavatar&r=g","caption":"Susan"},"url":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?author=7"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17712"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17712\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17722,"href":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17712\/revisions\/17722"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}