The Kennedys File A Lawsuit Against Trump’s Arch of Triumph

A judge has halted construction for two weeks. Nine members of the Kennedy family are putting forward another reason to contest the monument’s construction.

Things are not looking good for Donald Trump’s project. After a federal judge’s decision to block the construction in Washington of the gigantic arch desired by the American president, the Kennedy family has now filed a lawsuit against the building, according to court documents released Monday.

“President Donald Trump is attempting to illegally erect a gigantic arch that will permanently cast a shadow over the graves and memorials erected in honor of the Kennedy family at Arlington Cemetery,” reads the complaint filed by nine members of the Kennedy family.

John F. Kennedy and his wife are buried in Arlington.

Former President John F. Kennedy, his wife Jacqueline, and two of their children are buried at Arlington, a large military cemetery near Washington, along with his brothers Robert F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy, both former senators. Ethel Kennedy is also buried there.

The imposing Kennedy Memorial, perched atop the hill where the cemetery is located and where a flame burns perpetually, welcomes thousands of visitors every day. Along with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, it is one of the most visited graves in the area.

But Donald Trump’s triumphal arch , if built, would block “the view of the Kennedy graves and the eternal flame of John F. Kennedy from the Arlington Memorial Bridge, thus destroying an essential element of the design of these graves,” the complaint continues, adding that “according to a scientific study, the arch will permanently cast a shadow on the Kennedy graves and on those of the military men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country.”

The legality of Trump’s project examined

An American judge blocked the construction of the arch – whose construction has not yet begun – for two weeks in early November, while she examined requests challenging the legality of the project.

Because of its imposing dimensions, the arch would obscure the view between the Lincoln Memorial, one of Washington’s iconic monuments, and Arlington National Cemetery.

This arch is particularly important for the American president, who is determined to leave the most visible footprint possible in Washington, where he has launched numerous construction projects.

At the end of 2025, the Republican president had also added his name to the Kennedy Center, a major cultural institution in Washington, named in honor of the Democratic president assassinated in 1963. The performance hall had displayed the name “Donald J. Trump” on its facade for more than six months, until the new name was declared illegal.