Trump’s arch would cast shadow on Arlington Cemetery

Key Points:

• President Donald Trump's proposed 250-foot-tall triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery would cast shadows on more than 75,000 graves, including those of veterans from multiple wars and prominent memorials like Kennedy’s eternal flame and the Military Women’s Memorial.
• The Washington Post’s year-long 3D digital modeling shows the arch’s shadow would touch burial sites on 284 days, linger past cemetery opening hours on 26 days, and affect monuments to assassinated presidents and civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr.
• Historians, preservationists, and military veterans strongly oppose the arch, viewing its shadow over sacred sites as disrespectful and disruptive to Washington’s carefully planned monumental core, with some calling it a "sacrilege" and a "vanity project."
• The Trump administration disputes these findings, claiming limited impact and emphasizing the arch’s potential as a new iconic landmark, while pursuing legal and regulatory measures to advance the project despite ongoing lawsuits and public opposition.
• The arch’s shadow impact would increase if year-round daylight saving time is adopted, and critics highlight the symbolic discomfort of shading memorials like Kennedy’s eternal flame, which Jacqueline Kennedy had wished to remain visible across Washington.