Trump Arch Could Leave Arlington Cemetery in Shadow for Months

WHO:

Alternet - President Donald Trump proposed a triumphal arch; Neil Flanagan, an architect and historian writing a book about Washington’s design, and retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton commented on the plans.

Alternet - The Washington Post conducted the analysis; the Interior Department made separate claims about the arch’s shadow; a White House spokesman responded to the Post.

Drudge Report - Its headline describes Trump’s arch and Arlington Cemetery; no additional names or details are provided.

WHAT:

Alternet - Trump proposed a 250-foot-tall arch inspired by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Critics said it would dwarf other city structures and disrupt iconic views.

Alternet - The Washington Post’s to-scale digital 3D model found the arch’s shadow would touch Arlington National Cemetery burial sites on 284 days, cover John F. Kennedy’s eternal flame on 18 days, shade Kennedy’s memorial on 50 days, and darken the Military Women’s Memorial on 109 days.

Alternet - The model showed the shadow passing over more than 75,000 graves, including graves of veterans and next of kin from the Vietnam, Korean, World War II, World War I, Spanish-American, and Civil wars, as well as headstones of formerly enslaved people.

Alternet - The shadow would linger in the cemetery past its 8 a.m. opening on 26 days.

Alternet - The Interior Department claimed the arch would cause only a small amount of shadow at the cemetery for less than two weeks each year. The Post reported that the agency’s report did not explain its methodology.

Alternet - A White House spokesman said the arch would “enhance the visitor experience” at Arlington and become “one of the most iconic landmarks not only in Washington D.C., but throughout the world.”

Drudge Report - The article headline says Trump’s arch would cast a shadow on Arlington Cemetery; the provided listing contains no further reporting details.

WHERE:

Alternet - The proposed arch would stand at Memorial Circle, across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial and near the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery.

Alternet - The reported shadow impacts include Arlington National Cemetery and other landmarks in Washington, D.C.

WHY:

Alternet - Flanagan said, “The original designers understood that the open space between significant structures was as important as the landmarks themselves.”

Alternet - Eaton called the prospect of the arch casting shadows on veterans’ graves “a sacrelige.”

HOW:

Alternet - The Washington Post assessed potential shadow impacts using a “to-scale digital 3D model”; it reported that the shadow would usually recede from cemetery grounds by the 8 a.m. opening.

(UPDATED October 27, 2026 16:12 UTC)

President Trump has proposed a 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery, but a Washington Post 3D model found its shadow could cross more than 75,000 graves and touch burial sites on 284 days a year. The model also showed shadows covering John F. Kennedy’s eternal flame on 18 days, shading his memorial on 50 days, and darkening the Military Women’s Memorial on 109 days. The Interior Department said the cemetery would see only a small amount of shadow for less than two weeks annually, while an architect and a retired Army general criticized the project’s impact on the landscape and veterans’ graves.