US Home Secretary Doug Burgum said on September 3rd (local time) that the country is preparing to carry out the necessary excavation work to serve the construction of Khai Hoan Mon in about 2 weeks.
The project is expected to be 76m high, designed in the style of Khai Hoan Mon with a white body, with large gold-plated statues of angels and eagles on top. This is part of President Trump's efforts to create a personal mark in the capital.
Khai Hoan Mon will be built on the lawn between Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. According to Mr. Burgum, this will become one of the great architectural works of the United States, honoring the history and significance of Arlington Cemetery, and also in line with the position of the capital of this country.
The construction site is located on the island in the middle of the Potomac River, in the grass area in the center of a traffic roundabout. This location once caused controversy because the Trump administration did not consult Congress on the construction of a large-scale project in the capital.
With its massive size, the building can obscure the view between Lincoln Memorial, one of Washington D.C.'s iconic sites, and Arlington National Cemetery - the resting place of hundreds of thousands of US soldiers.
Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Mr. Trump has launched a series of renovation projects, many of which have led to legal disputes. These projects include a large-scale ballroom at the White House and the renovation of Reflected Lake at National Mall.
President Trump also once put his name on the Kennedy Center - a cultural and artistic facility named after the late President John F. Kennedy. A judge then requested to remove Mr. Trump's name, but the facade of the building was still covered with tarpaulin. Meanwhile, the center's board of directors voted to put his name on the building in a different form.
