The New York Times reports that Trump now says that his proposed “Triumphal Arch” will be “a top grade Military Complex/Triumphal Arch, to house, store, and have the rapid ability to use large numbers of drones, plus Snipers, on both the roof and plaza areas, and additionally have and hold large quantities of sniper ammunition in storage.”
In a social media post, Trump also said, “There will be no facility like this anywhere in the World.”
Of course, there won’t. An all-in-one arch/arsenal/military-staging ground is a completely novel idea; the product of a very stable and creative genius. And is there a builder anywhere in the world who could execute such an idea with Trump’s skill? Of course not. No one would even try to imitate it. So, yes, it will be unique–the only one of its kind anywhere in the world.
But without meaning to imply anything less than an almost-indescribable enthusiasm for the plan, I do have some questions:
First, how are they going to fit all that stuff in an arch?
And where will the snipers park their cars when they come to work? Will they have to build a sniper parking lot? I suppose they could bus the snipers to work everyday from the Pentagon and the numerous military bases that are nearby, but that sounds pretty inconvenient. Maybe the snipers can take Lyfts or Ubers to the arch everyday, but they’ll need to keep careful records of their expenses.
That prompts another question: Because there already is a large military presence in and around DC, do we really need the Triumphal Arch to house, store, and deploy all those snipers, drones, and ammo?
I guess I shouldn’t worry my pretty little head about such important national-security details. Thank goodness we have such a high-IQ and creative President who can sort it all out.
But I do have a suggestion, which I will mostly humbly offer:
If the President is going to build an arch/arsenal/military-staging ground at significant taxpayer expense, why not include space at the Triumphal Arch for some fast food companies to rent? It doesn’t have to be McDonald’s, although that’s an obvious choice for an Arch-based fast food outlet. Perhaps the President could also consider including space for some high-end retail at ground level.
You could call it “The Trump Triumphal Arch and Mall (and Foodcourt).” That has a nice to ring to it.
After all, it wouldn’t be a Trump project if he didn’t monetize it to at least some extent (for the benefit of the American people, of course). Then again, the kickbacks from the contractors (for the benefit of the American people, of course) might make the project profitable.
So I guess I shouldn’t have any concerns about the Triumphal Arch. I am sure the President has things well in hand.