'What's Going on With Trump's Big Fascistic Arch Near the National Mall?'
"Memorial Day heralds the unofficial start of summer, and this summer will also be the zenith of the Trump administration’s Christian nationalist Freedom 250 events celebrating the country’s semiquincentennialp. So it seems like a good moment to check in on Trump’s plans to build a giant triumphal arch near the National Mall."
"The Federal Commission of Fine Arts, which is stocked with Trump allies, has officially approved plans for the 250-foot structure, with the chairman calling it a 'very elegant building.' The design is as Trumpy as one might expect, with four golden lions at the base, an enormous winged Lady Liberty astride it, and a golden inscription that reads 'One Nation Under God.' Architecture historian and Columbia professor Reinhold Martin described it to TPM as 'Napoleonic' and part of an 'imperial tradition' in a piece Layla A. Jones did on Trump’s obsession with restoring Classical architecture in D.C. 'The classical architecture stuff is a dog whistle for white nationalists,' Martin pointed out."
"Trump has said he wants the arch built in time to ring in America’s 250th, but a few months is not exactly the window in which 250-foot monuments are typically built. 'The president wants it now' is also not the typical process for new construction on the National Mall. Under the 1986 Commemorative Works Act, Congress is supposed to sign off on any major new structure built on federally administered land in D.C., conducting reviews to make sure that the monument doesn’t disturb existing structures and is of 'pre-eminent historical and lasting significance to the United States.' (When asked by CBS who the proposed arch would commemorate, Trump said, simply, 'Me.'). But the Trump administration reportedly has no intention of seeking approval from Congress, 'arguing that they do not need it because lawmakers a century ago authorized a somewhat similar project that was never built,' according to the Washington Post."
"As of now, the project has not yet broken ground. Two lawsuits — one filed by a group of Vietnam War veterans who say the arch will block views of Arlington National Cemetery and disrespect the dead, and another by an architectural historian — are still winding their way through the courts. Warning that she doesn’t 'want to wake up in the morning' to find 'bulldozers' at work, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan has ordered the government to provide her with at least 14 days’ notice before construction or demolition begins for the project, per MS Now."
Continued at link:
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/the-weekender/whats-going-on-with-trumps-big-fascistic-arch-near-the-national-mall
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