US judge halts construction of Trump’s triumphal arch in Washington, DC

A United States federal judge has ordered a temporary block on the construction of President Donald Trump’s 250ft (76-metre) “triumphal arch” in Washington DC.

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Friday, ordered a 14-day pause on any construction on the arch, despite the Trump administration last week saying it could begin as soon as Thursday.

The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) held a nine-hour hearing on Thursday, which resulted in a final vote of 8-4 in approval of the arch, despite the protest of dozens of witnesses who were against the construction.

Judge Chutkan’s decision follows a series of lawsuits that have been filed challenging the construction of the arch, including a group of Vietnam war veterans, who filed a suit in February.

Trump has proposed building the arch by the Arlington National Cemetery, where war veterans are buried, which caused concerns that it could block the view between the cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial.

The veterans said in a court filing that the line of sight between the two was “carefully designed to symbolise the unification of the country after the Civil War and the strength of a united nation”.

Trump first proposed the arch last year to mark 250 years of US independence, claiming it would be like other famous arches, such as the Arc de Triomphe built in Paris in 1836.

The so-called “Arc de Trump” is only one of many projects Trump has proposed in Washington. On Friday, he signed a proclamation designating his Oval Office and Cabinet room as a national monument.

Many of his plans have been blocked in the past by several judges, and after the Democrats won control of Congress in the midterm elections this week, those plans could face increased scrutiny.