President Donald Trump has unveiled plans for a new memorial in the Washington area to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States next year.
The project, first revealed in photos released by the AFP news agency last week, has been called the "Arc de Trump" for its resemblance to Paris's famed Arc de Triomphe. "It's going to be really beautiful," Mr Trump said during a dinner at the White House on Wednesday night.
The arch, which would stand near the Lincoln Memorial, will act as a gateway to the US capital for those entering via the Arlington Memorial Bridge, near the Arlington National Cemetery. Mr Trump held up a model of the arch and three size options, one of which would mean the monument would be bigger than the Arc de Triomphe.
The dinner was organised to thank donors for the new $250 million ballroom Mr Trump is building at the White House. Guests included representatives from tech firms such as Amazon, Apple, Meta, Google, Microsoft and Palantir, as well as the defence giant Lockheed Martin, according to US media.
"So many of you have been really, really generous," Mr Trump told the guests. "I mean, couple of you I have sitting here are saying, 'Sir, would $25 million be appropriate?' I said 'I'll take it.'"
The President has said that the ballroom will be built entirely with private money. It includes $22 million from a settlement with YouTube in September, after the company suspended his account over the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
It is the largest in a series of renovations Mr Trump has made to the White House since returning to power in January, including covering the Oval Office with gold decor and paving over the Rose Garden.
