Trump says planned arch will honour veterans as court temporarily halts work

Donald Trump said at a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery that his planned triumphal arch would be dedicated to veterans, although a federal judge has temporarily halted work on the project.

“And soon we’re going to dedicate a magnificent triumphal arch to our veterans,” the president said on 11 November. He also took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and addressed veterans at the cemetery in Virginia.

The proposed 76-metre arch would stand near Arlington National Cemetery. Trump has previously suggested it could be called the “Arc de Trump”. Three veterans are among those suing to stop the project, according to the Associated Press. Some military groups support it, while others oppose it.

A federal judge issued an order last week prohibiting work on the arch for 14 days. Members of the Kennedy family have also challenged the project, arguing that it would overshadow their relatives’ graves at Arlington.

In his address, Trump thanked veterans and pledged that the United States would fulfil its duty to them while he remained president. He paid tribute to individual veterans, including Jack Myers, who served in the Second World War, and Douglas Moore, who served in Vietnam, according to the White House.

In an accompanying statement, the White House said the backlog of veterans’ benefits claims had fallen by nearly 70% since 20 January 2025 and that average processing time for disability claims had fallen by 46%. It did not give the opening and closing backlog totals or specify the comparison period for the processing-time figure.