Trump would like to take credit for building a triumphal arch in Washington The latest sign of the president's tendency to promote a cult of his own personality

As recently reported by the Atlantic, before the end of his term Trump would like to have a triumphal arch built in Washington – a monumental structure of Roman origin, historically used to celebrate victories and prominent figures. One of the best-known examples is the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, commissioned by Napoleon in the early nineteenth century. The area chosen for the project would be the center of Memorial Circle, a monumental roundabout located in front of the Lincoln Memorial, the famous monument dedicated to President Abraham Lincoln and one of the most iconic sites in the United States.

The project has received an initial green light from the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), a federal commission tasked with evaluating and coordinating major urban planning and architectural projects in the Washington area. The body is responsible for ensuring that new projects are consistent with the city's development and with the preservation of its historical and landscape heritage. The commission, whose composition has been partly altered during the Trump administration through new appointments, approved an initial phase of the project, which could nevertheless still be blocked by regulations limiting building heights in the capital.

What the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence has to do with it

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in the United States, the document with which, on July 4, 1776, thirteen British colonies declared their separation from the British Empire. Trump, however, is using this anniversary as an opportunity to promote his own image and events dear to him.

The commission tasked with giving an initial opinion on Trump's triumphal arch project described the work as a «timely and fitting» intervention to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of the United States.

Part of these phenomena can be traced back to the strong centrality that Trump attributes to his own public image. According to several experts, however, this would not simply be a matter of personal vanity: these initiatives could be part of a broader attempt to build a kind of cult around him – a mechanism typical of authoritarian regimes, in which the celebration of the leader tends to prevail over the role of institutions and democratic rules.

Is Trump obsessed with his own personality?

In recent years Trump has attached his own name and image to buildings, institutions, government programs and even promotional materials linked to tourist attractions. According to the New York Times, which has analyzed several episodes of this kind, this strategy would be a way to reinforce a form of cult of personality around his figure and consolidate his own support.

For example, not long ago, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington's main cultural center, was renamed "The Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts," sparking strong protests. And the United States Institute of Peace, a formally independent organization but funded by the government, was also renamed "Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace."

In Washington, moreover, for some time now large banners bearing the president's image have appeared outside some government buildings – something that never happened under previous administrations. Those seeking to ingratiate themselves with Trump, sometimes to gain a personal advantage, seem to have understood that this kind of blatant celebration of his figure can be an effective way to win the president's favor. It is no coincidence that in the past some Republican members of Congress introduced a bizarre bill to add Trump's face to Mount Rushmore, the famous monument depicting four U.S. presidents.