D.C.’S ARCH OF AUTOCRACY September 25, 2026
The Arc de Triomphe in Paris shares much with an arch from antiquity, a recent one and a proposed arch for America. Little of it is good.
The Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte commissioned the Arc de Triomphe. Construction lasted from 1806 to 1836, its completion long after his death. It celebrated wars of conquest that cost hundreds of thousands of lives, military and civilian.
Napoleon’s arch was inspired by the Arch of Titus in Rome. Built by Emperor Domitian, it commemorated the death of his older brother, Titus, who along with their father, Vespasian, crushed Judea, ransacking and destroying the Second Temple.
I’ve been to the Arch of Titus. A panel across the top portrays Jewish prisoners and the carting away of the Temple’s seven-lamp menorah. Even after two millennia, it chilled me to the bone.
The Arc de Triomphe inspired the 1982 construction of a similar arch in North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang. It memorializes the dictator Kim Il Sung’s leading military resistance against Korea’s Japanese conquerors. Kim Il Sung fathered the dictator Kim Jong Il who fathered the present North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
Do we detect a pattern here? And how might it apply to the United States Triumphal Arch proposed by Donald Trump?
Yes to the first question. The three arches mentioned were built by autocrats. The Roman Senate had limited power. Napoleon held sway over the French government. Kim Jong Un retains an iron grip on North Korea.
True, memorial arches can be found in other major capitals. So, not to feel left out, Trump proposed an arch to celebrate the United States’ 250th birthday. It would rise to 250 feet, 86 feet taller than the Arc de Triomphe. Everything in America, particularly under Trump’s administration, must be bigger because bigger is better.
Or not. See last week’s post, “Texas Toast and Las Vegas.”
Trump wants his arch to rise between the end of the Arlington Memorial bridge (Virginia side of the Potomac) and Arlington National Cemetery. It would block the view of the cemetery from the Lincoln Memorial, which stands at one end of the Capitol Mall.
The arch has drawn criticism from many Americans, including veterans who object to blocking the view of our premier national cemetery. They’ve brought suit. To counter the suit, Trump declared that the arch would serve the national defense. It would be a “top-grade Military Complex, at the strong request of the United States Military, and National Security purposes.” The arch would house sniper positions, drones and ammunition.
I find it hard (sadly, not impossible) to believe that the courts, up to the Supreme Court, will accept Trump’s reasoning. Who would invade Washington and its environs? Should Russian or Chinese troops storm the capital—a Hollywood-inspired idea—it would be way too late for the arch to defend Washington. What actual—as opposed to purported—military expert would agree that a fortified arch would serve any valid purpose?
Now for reality.
The Arch of Autocracy would be another monument to an autocratic president’s outsized and toxic ego. You can bet it would bear the name of the potential annihilator of Iran in huge gold letters.
The real triumph to be celebrated will be eliminating the project and reinforcing American democracy under the rule of law and sanity.
Enjoy a great read about America’s 20th-century flirtation with authoritarianism in my novel RIDE THE TYGER. Order from Amazon, barnesandnoble.com, iuniverse.com, or your favorite bookstore. My new novel, THE DOUBLE, will appear in late October.