Trump’s Arch: A Monument to a 19th-Century Power Fantasy

The piece argues that Trump’s planned arch near Arlington is less a tribute to independence and more a symbol of a 19th-century imperial mindset, signaling a desire to project power through hard power, resource grabs, and unilateral moves that strain allies and international norms. Against Venezuela, Iran, and tariff fights, the arch would mark presidential vanity unless tempered by diplomacy and alliances; without those, it risks becoming a monument to folly rather than a lasting achievement.