After his $250 million “dance hall,” Trump sets his sights on Napoleon’s Arc de Triomphe — Paris drives him mad

The Trump ship is taking on water from all sides, yet what obsesses him is France — more specifically its capital, Paris, the most visited city in the world. The American president is literally enamored with it, though he would never put it that way.

He claims to despise what is done in Paris; for instance, he harshly criticized the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games, which he found far too “woke” for his taste. But during his first official visit in July 2017, it was plain to see in his eyes that he was fascinated by the “City of Light” (while Parisians, for their part, were fascinated by the Republican’s staggering lack of culture).

At the time, Trump openly admitted that he envied the July 14 military parade. He attempted to reproduce it in Washington in June 2025 — a total failure. This time, he wants the world-famous Arc de Triomphe of Paris.

The American returned to the French capital in December 2024 to attend the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral after the fire that had ravaged it. But this time, his interest is more profane: he has his eye on the Parisian monument commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte at the start of the 19th century. Trump wants his own version, one that will “surpass in every respect” one of France’s greatest jewels.

That, then, is the new fixation of the occupant of the White House, following his $250 million ballroom. He said so quite plainly yesterday, Sunday, December 14, during the year-end reception. He has even already chosen what he deems the ideal location: near Arlington Bridge, facing the Lincoln Memorial.

The project has been entrusted to Vince Haley, head of domestic policy, according to Le Parisien. The structure will thus become the “number one priority” of a president who is supposedly meant to focus on national emergencies such as education, healthcare, immigration, the environment, or housing. But “King Trump” has spoken, and the debate is over. It will provide ample fuel for the millions of citizens who demonstrated against him on October 18.

The billionaire president remains adamant: the American capital “is the only city in the world of this importance that doesn’t have an Arc de Triomphe (…) The one people know best is the one in Paris, France.

But we are going to surpass it — by far, I believe,” he declared. “[…] The only thing they have is history. 1860, something like that… I always say that’s the only thing you can’t compete with. But we will have history too, at some point.”

“The Arc of Trump,” nothing less… While he’s at it, why not the Eiffel Tower, the Luxor Obelisk (gifted to France by Egypt), the Pont des Arts, and so on? Cultural legacy, heritage, “history,” as the American president puts it, cannot be bought like a common commodity. He no doubt believes that in a few decades — a century, perhaps — his “work” will be viewed differently. It is also a way of making history, of leaving one’s mark on it — a very singular way, but one nonetheless.