White House Recasts Trump's Arch as a 'Military Triumphal Arch' Hours After a Judge Paused Construction

The White House moved quickly on Friday to recast President Donald Trump's proposed 250-foot arch in Washington, hours after a federal judge paused its construction, Reuters reports. New depictions shared Friday portray the project as a tribute to the nation's military heritage, and a site unveiled the same day gives it a name: the Military Triumphal Arch. The animated images show a trio of gilded, winged statues above the words 'GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICA', written in gold letters set against stone, with a flame emanating from a torch in one winged figure's hands.

The renderings come from a group called the United States Triumphal Arch Foundation; its listed chairman, former Trump-appointed ambassador Randy Evans, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Reuters reports. The arch would stand near the entrance of Arlington National Cemetery. The rebrand is the latest in a shifting justification for the project - the president previously described the arch as a 'military complex' to be used for drones and snipers, Reuters notes, and the new renderings now dedicate it to the nation's military history.

The legal ground under the project has not moved. The National Capital Planning Commission voted Thursday to approve the arch after hearing from about 100 opponents; hours later, US District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a 14-day restraining order on construction, saying the work would last about three years and 'disrupt traffic, create noise, result in large-scale excavation, and more.' The attorneys general of Virginia and the District of Columbia have sued to stop the arch entirely, arguing it would irreparably damage the capital's skyline and the area around Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial. Some aviation experts have raised safety concerns given the project's proximity to Reagan Washington National Airport, though the Federal Aviation Administration greenlit the project in September.

The administration's position, as Reuters reports it, is that Congress approved the arch more than a century ago when it authorized a bridge across the Potomac River. White House spokesman Davis Ingle called Friday's ruling the work of 'an activist district court' and added: 'We are confident we will be fully vindicated as this litigation proceeds and look forward to seeing the completion of this magnificent Arch - a tribute to 250 years of American greatness.' Construction, if the courts allow it, is expected to take two to three years, according to Interior Department documents. A new name, in other words, is not a building permit - the next move belongs to the litigation, not the renderings.