President Donald Trump said Thursday that his administration plans to build a promenade connecting the Lincoln Memorial to the Potomac River, the latest addition to a sweeping set of construction and renovation projects he is pushing in Washington.
“It’s called the promenade, will be the promenade,” Trump said during an Oval Office event. He also said some people wanted to name it the “Trump Promenade,” though he was not sure he wanted that, adding that the project would be “beautiful.”
The promenade would add another major change to the Washington landscape in Trump’s second term, after the White House East Wing was demolished last year to make way for his ballroom project. He has also proposed a massive triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac River and Lincoln Memorial, a proposal that would sit in sight of one of the capital’s most visited monuments.
Those projects have not moved forward without resistance. Both the ballroom project and the triumphal arch proposal have drawn lawsuits, and Trump abandoned his plans last week for a two-year overhaul of the Kennedy Center after a federal judge ruled he could not rename the performing arts venue or close its doors.
The new promenade plan arrives as renovations continue across the city for the administration’s celebration of America’s 250th birthday. That work also includes building an Ultimate Fighting Championship Octagon on the South Lawn and Ellipse and repainting the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Trump highlighted the reflecting pool work during the Oval Office event, saying, “The water is pouring in as we speak... nice, clean water.” The source did not say when construction on the promenade would begin or what it would cost, leaving the timeline and price tag for the latest project unresolved.
For now, the announcement adds another concrete plan to a fast-moving overhaul of the capital. Visitors to the Lincoln Memorial area and residents of Washington are likely to feel the effects if the project goes ahead, but the next official step, and the answer to whether it will ever carry Trump’s name, remains unstated.
