Donald Trump has revealed the White House’s domestic priority, and it’s not lowering costs or solving the looming health care crisis.
Speaking at a holiday gathering on Sunday, the president described his desire for a triumphal arch in Washington, D.C., as a “top priority” for White House Domestic Policy Council Chairman Vince Haley.
“This is something very special. Well, it’s like being in Paris, but honestly, it blows it away. It blows it away in every way,” Trump said. “Vince came in one day and his eyes were filled with tears. I mean, he couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. He saw it and he wanted to do it. That’s your first priority.”
Donald Trump reportedly reviewed several different designs and chose the largest possible arch topped by a tacky gold monument. / Instagram / Will Schaaf
Haley previously worked as a speechwriter for Trump and as a longtime aide to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
“Vince’s policies are incredible. Incredible things are going to happen with our policies,” he said of the proposed arch.
Trump has spent months trying to remake Washington in his MAGAfied image, including paving the White House Rose Garden, demolishing the East Wing, breaking ground on a $300 million ballroom and announcing plans for other new construction around the nation’s capital — all without the necessary legal scrutiny.
In October, he announced that he would create a replica of the Arc de Triomphe to rival the Lincoln Memorial in size. Sources say Trump received three different designs, but not surprisingly, he was reportedly most excited about the $100 million platinum behemoth.
At a time when Americans are having to buy fewer holiday gifts, the president demolished the East Wing and built a $300 million ballroom. /Andrew Lydon/Getty
“We’re building an arc, like the Arc de Triomphe, and we’re building it next to the Arlington Bridge, Arlington Cemetery, uh, across from the Lincoln Memorial. You can say Jefferson, Washington, everything, because they’re all there,” Trump described the project on Sunday.
The president has solicited private donations for the project, ostensibly to mark the 250th anniversary.th He doubled down on the idea even as his approval ratings plummeted over the government’s failure to rein in the cost of living.
The president’s own voters increasingly blame him for high prices, and last week Trump launched a national tour to try to convince voters that his economic policies are working — even as many Americans cut back on the number of gifts they buy this holiday season.
Indeed, Republicans still have no plan to lower health care costs after the latest Republican spending bill cut nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid spending and failed to extend Medicare subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.
President Trump wants to build a triumphal arch to rival the size of the Lincoln Memorial. /Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
When ACA credits expire next year, health care premiums will skyrocket for about 22 million Americans, doubling the average beneficiary’s premiums.
But the more pressing issue for Trump is apparently that Washington is “the only important city in the world without a triumphal arch,” he said Sunday.
“This one is going to blow their minds. People are most familiar with the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. And, uh, we’re going to go beyond that, I think about it a lot,” he said.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.