Trump's arch mocked by onlookers who believe next president will 'tear it down'

President Donald Trump's plan for a controversial 250-foot-tall gold-covered arch to be built at Memorial Circle in Washington, D.C. has been ridiculed by critics.

The renderings, produced by architecture firm Harrison Design, depict a massive structure flanked by four gold lions and topped by a 60-foot-tall gold statue of an angel, with "one nation under God" inscribed at the top. The project has generated intense opposition from preservationists, lawmakers, and activists.

Professor of Political Science and Senior Fellow of the Freeman Spogli Institute and Hoover Institution at Stanford University, Michael McFaul, criticized the project as a badly timed piece from Trump.

He wrote, "The last thing Americans need right now is a giant arch. Instead of getting his billionaire friends to pay for this, how about asking them to pay for childcare? Or elder care?"

Congressman Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) added, "Inflation is skyrocketing. Gas prices have soared. Fertilizer costs are rising. What is Trump focused on? Using taxpayers' funds to build the biggest arch in the world to honor him."

Former Republican Party representative Adam Kinzinger claimed that the next president would tear down the arch. Posting a GIF of Godzilla punching a building, Kinzinger wrote, "Don't worry. Day one of the new president:"

Larry Sabato, the director of Center For Politics and author of The Kennedy Half Century, added, "Just think how much fun we’ll have tearing it down in a few years."

Other leading critics were concerned as to how members of the public would visit the arch, given where it is set to be built. Former White House doctor Jonathan Reiner aired his criticism of the logic behind planning the arch.

He wrote, "The site for the arch is a busy highway traffic circle between Memorial Bridge and Arlington National Cemetery. How do they envision people would visit the structure?"

Despite overwhelming public opposition, the Commission of Fine Arts remains poised to approve the project, raising concerns about the administration's willingness to override democratic input for Trump's architectural ambitions.