‘He’s Not Leaving, Is He?’: Trump Suddenly Arms His 250-Foot Arch With Snipers and Drones, and His One-Word Answer Sends Critics Into a Frenzy
President Donald Trump has given his proposed Washington monument a new purpose, prompting critics to question what he intends to build near Arlington National Cemetery.
Trump announced the change Sunday as the 250-foot triumphal arch faced legal challenges and objections over its size and location.
The announcement also stirred fears about how a military presence at the site could be used. “You do see what’s happening here, right? This is not a drill,” one person warned on Threads.
Trump said the arch would double as a military complex, with space for snipers, drones and ammunition. He said the military had requested the change; critics have questioned its need and purpose.
Another asked bluntly, “He’s not leaving, is he?”
Trump originally promoted the arch as a grand tribute to America’s 250th birthday. He now says the massive structure will serve a national security purpose by housing drones, snipers and large quantities of ammunition, according to CNN.
The announcement caught some people working on the project off guard. It also added a startling military mission that did not appear in the original plans submitted to federal agencies overseeing architectural changes in Washington.
Trump claimed the U.S. military requested the change.
“At the strong request of the United States Military, and for National Security purposes, I have agreed to convert the magnificent Triumphal Arch,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He said the complex would store “large numbers of drones” and place snipers on its roof and plaza. Trump also wants it to hold “large quantities of sniper ammunition.”
“There will be no facility like this anywhere in the World,” he added.
However, Trump did not identify a specific threat that would require a heavily armed military complex inside a monument. The Pentagon also declined to provide additional details beyond Trump’s announcement.
The lack of a clear explanation intensified suspicions online.
One commenter claimed Trump was “getting ready for next year and 2028 when he gets impeached and removed from office.”
The commenter offered no evidence, but the accusation reflected growing fears among critics that Trump’s national security explanation could conceal an effort to fortify his grip on Washington.
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene also reacted with alarm.
“When a power-hungry, ego-obsessed President knows he’s a lame duck and will soon lose power, he turns to war,” Greene wrote. “On the world and the people. My God, help us; what is this lunatic planning? I did not support this and America did NOT vote for this.”
Another commenter summed up the disbelief: “WTF this guy is a lunatic.”
Trump wants to build the arch at Memorial Circle near Arlington National Cemetery. The structure would resemble Paris’ Arc de Triomphe but rise almost 100 feet higher.
The monument would also stand more than twice as tall as the Lincoln Memorial. Its design includes golden eagles and a towering winged figure wearing a crown, according to NPR.
Critics were already fighting the project over its massive scale, location and effect on historic views. Veterans challenging the arch argue that it would disrupt the visual connection between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial.
They also argue that Trump needs congressional authorization before construction can begin.
Trump’s military explanation raised additional safety and logistical questions. The monument would sit at a heavily traveled traffic circle near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. It would also stand about one mile from an active Army installation and roughly two miles from the Pentagon.
Retired Marine Col. Mark Cancian said Trump’s military justification appeared to have been added to help overcome opposition to the monument.
“It looks like it’s tacked on in order to strengthen the rationale for construction,” Cancian told Reuters. He questioned why Trump would need another military facility so close to existing installations.
The administration has used a similar national security argument to defend Trump’s controversial $400 million White House ballroom.
Administration lawyers have said the ballroom requires missile-resistant steel, drone-resistant roofing, ballistic glass, bomb shelters and underground military facilities. The White House has also argued that stopping construction would endanger Trump, his family and national security.
Critics now accuse Trump of attaching military purposes to controversial construction projects when they face legal or public resistance.
The White House initially sold the triumphal arch as a tribute to veterans and fallen service members.
“The Triumphal Arch in Memorial Circle is going to be one of the most iconic landmarks not only in Washington, D.C., but throughout the world,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said.
Trump offered a more personal explanation when CBS correspondent Ed O’Keefe asked whom the monument would honor.
“Me,” Trump answered.
Sue Mobley, director of research at Monument Lab, described the massive structure as another example of Trump’s obsession with size and spectacle.
“It’s textbook Trump,” Mobley told NPR. “It has to be the biggest. That’s the authoritarian impulse.”
Some supporters defended the plan. One person responded to Greene by accusing her of making a “stupid complaint.”
“The President is focusing on national security while making our capital city look nicer,” the commenter wrote. “That actually is something I voted for.”