Donald Trump often mocks France, whether on the military or trade, but when it comes to staging power, he turns to it directly. After the military parade he copied from Emmanuel Macron in Paris in 2017 and later recreated in Washington, the next step now follows: a triumphal arch in the United States, larger than anything Europe has to offer. More precisely, larger than the Arc de Triomphe.
In France, this does not inspire admiration, but a dry shrug. People there know political leaders who wanted to immortalize themselves with monuments. The focus is less on Trump’s plans for size and more on the history of the Parisian model. Because this arch is not a simple symbol of strength. It is a place where a country’s contradictions gather.
The Arc de Triomphe was designed in 1806 by Napoleon Bonaparte after his victory at Austerlitz. He wanted to preserve military glory. But reality caught up with him. After his defeat and exile in 1814, construction was halted. It was only in 1836 that Louis-Philippe I had the project completed and gave it a new meaning. The arch was meant to honor not only Napoleon’s army, but all those who fought for France between 1792 and 1815.
That is where the real story of the monument begins. A structure intended as a symbol of victory became a gathering point for a far more complicated past. After World War I, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was added. Since then, the site has been not only grand, but quiet. Anyone who stands there does not feel a display of power, but remembrance. At the same time, the arch is also a focal point for very different emotions. In 2018, thousands celebrated France’s World Cup victory there. In the same year, it was damaged by the Yellow Vest protests. Joy, anger, grief - everything meets at this place. Historian Jean-Yves Le Naour says the arch carries all of that within it.
Trump has little interest in that. For him, it is about height and effect. His planned arch in Washington is expected to measure around 76 meters, topped by a figure reminiscent of the Statue of Liberty. The Arc de Triomphe stands at 50 meters. Trump openly says he wants to surpass it by a clear margin. History, as his message goes, is the only thing the French have left.
Yet it is precisely that history that shows how quickly power fades. Napoleon drew inspiration from the pyramids when he marched into Egypt in 1798 with around 36,000 soldiers. In the end, what remained of his ambition was a structure that barely reflects him anymore. French voices therefore describe Trump’s plans as “pharaonic” ambitions.
The parallels go further. Names like Mohammed bin Salman or Nicolae Ceaușescu appear in commentary. Large construction projects, massive plans, often ending in an abrupt loss of power. At the same time, France itself is no blank slate. Georges Pompidou built the Centre Pompidou. François Mitterrand pushed through the Louvre Pyramid and had the Grande Arche de la Défense constructed, a structure that at 361 feet clearly exceeds Trump’s plans.
The difference lies not in size, but in the idea behind it. The Grande Arche was dedicated to human rights. A triumphal arch built only to celebrate strength would be difficult to imagine in France today.
Behind the laughter at Trump, there is therefore more than mockery. It is a reminder of how differently power is understood. A structure can display grandeur. It can also show how temporary that grandeur is.
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