Kamal Ghorui
US President Donald Trump on Monday shared a photograph of New Delhi’s iconic India Gate on his social media platform, Truth Social, while reiterating his vision of building a massive triumphal arch in Washington DC.Posting the image, Trump wrote, “India’s beautiful Triumphal Arch. Ours will be the greatest of them all!” The post came amid his renewed push for what he has described as an “Independence Arch” in the US capital.
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Trump has repeatedly said that he wants Washington, DC to have the world’s largest triumphal arch, calling it a symbol of national pride.Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, he said that the idea of such a monument had existed for nearly 200 years. “For 200 years, they wanted to build an arch,” Trump said. He added that while at least 57 cities across the world already have triumphal arches, Washington remains “the only major city” without one.Earlier, Trump announced that work on the proposed arch is expected to begin within the next few months. According to The Independent, the structure is planned near the Lincoln Memorial and along the Arlington Memorial Bridge, marking what Trump has described as a grand entrance to the nation’s capital.The proposed monument has also drawn comparisons with France’s Arc de Triomphe. Trump has indicated a preference for the largest of three proposed designs, reportedly standing about 250 feet tall, more than twice the height of the Lincoln Memorial. He has argued that the scale would reflect America’s stature and coincide with the country’s 250th anniversary of independence this year.Reacting to the proposal, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said, “The Arch is going to be one of the most iconic landmarks not only in Washington, DC, but throughout the world. President Trump’s bold vision will be imprinted upon the fabric of America and be felt by generations to come.”India Gate is a historic monument located at the heart of New Delhi. Standing 42 metres tall, India Gate is an Arc-de-Triomphe–style war memorial designed by British architect Edwin Lutyens.It commemorates more than 70,000 Indian soldiers who died fighting for the British Army during World War I, as well as those killed in the Afghan war of 1919. The Amar Jawan Jyoti, added after Independence, honours Indian soldiers who lost their lives in the 1971 war.
