Oct 1 at 8:30 am ET: Public Citizen, Veterans, Rep. Don Beyer to Protest Trump’s Arch
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On October 1 at 8:30 am ET outside Memorial Circle, Public Citizen will hold a protest and press conference alongside military veterans, Rep. Don Beyer (VA-8) and others to demand that the Trump administration withdraw its plans to build its illegal “Triumphal Arch” and instead focus on real issues that affect our active military members, veterans and all Americans.
The Trump administration regularly attempts to circumvent the laws that have governed this country for 250 years. Now, as a self-indulgent project, Donald Trump plans to build a 250-foot arch in Memorial Circle without congressional approval – a clear violation of federal law and the Constitution’s separation of powers.
Trump’s planned construction is not only illegal. It is an affront to American veterans and their families. The arch will sit on Memorial Circle along the Potomac River, impeding the symbolic line-of-sight between the Lincoln Memorial in D.C. and Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, where hundreds of thousands of our nation’s military members have been laid to rest.
In February, on behalf of multiple Vietnam veterans and an architectural historian, Public Citizen Litigation Group filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to challenge construction of the arch.
WHO:
Speakers will include:
- Lisa Gilbert, Public Citizen co-president
- Jon Gundersen, Ret. U.S. Army Veteran and Foreign Service Officer
- Rep. Don Beyer (VA-8)
- Gary Langston, Ret. U.S. Army Veteran
- Hon. Julius D. “JD” Spain, Sr. U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and Arlington Co. Board Member
- And more
WHAT:
“Veterans Over Vanity” Protest and Press Conference
WHERE:
WHEN:
October 1, 2026 8:30 am to 9:30 am ET