Donald Trump #god-complex edition.cnn.com
President Donald Trump is involved in planning for a major new monument in Washington, DC: a triumphal arch to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary, marking his latest effort to impose his style and tastes on the nation’s capital.
Last week, AFP photographer Jim Watson captured images of a pair of three-dimensional models of the proposed arch atop Trump’s desk in the Oval Office as the president met with his Finnish counterpart, President Alexander Stubb. Canadian Minister of Energy Tim Hodgson also posted a photo of Trump showcasing one of the models to a group of Canadian officials. The models were on the president’s desk again on Wednesday as he hosted an event on crime statistics.
At a fundraiser for the White House ballroom expansion on Wednesday night, Trump brought the models out again as he talked about his plans for the new monument.
“It’s going to be really beautiful. I think it’s going to be fantastic,” Trump said as he proceeded to lift up the models for the crowd to see. “There’s a rendering of what it will look like. You have three sizes. That would be the largest one. This is just a model, what it would look like in either of the three, any of the three sizes.”
“Whichever one would look good. I happen to think the large one,” Trump added to laughter. “Why are you shocked?
The watercolor of the proposed stone arch features columns, eagles, wreaths, and a gilded, winged figure. It is similar to France’s Arc de Triomphe.
Asked who the arch was for, the president pointed at himself: “Me.”