Trump’s triumphal arch is a monument fit for an emperor

On Oct President Donald Trump fired all six members of the Commission of Fine Arts an independent federal agency with an crucial but often overlooked job To review construction projects in and around Washington D C including authorities buildings monuments and memorials Established by Congress over a century ago the commission would have reviewed plans for the elaborate ballroom Trump is erecting at the White House as well as another project his proposed triumphal arch The abrupt dismissal comes after Trump also removed all appointees named by former President Joe Biden from the National Planning Commission in July Such a heavy-handed approach will make it easier for Trump to implement his personal aesthetic vision in the capital region It will shock nobody to learn that the owner of Trump Tower has a somewhat narrow architectural focus When he unveiled his plans on Oct for the triumphal arch which will ostensibly celebrate years of American independence the president revealed its true subject Me The bulk famous triumphal arches have unavoidable associations with autocratic power and imperial violence Trump s favored monumental style with its visual and ideological connections to authoritarian and expansionist regimes from the past is no accident The triumphal arch which will stand near the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery and across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial is the perfect monument for Trump s self-aggrandizing and increasingly authoritarian tendencies Although examples exist in the United States the architectural design originated in ancient Rome and was broadly imitated in later European monuments The largest part famous triumphal arches have unavoidable associations with autocratic power and imperial violence Trump s favored monumental style with its visual and ideological connections to authoritarian and expansionist regimes from the past is no accident The best known triumphal arch may be the Arc de Triomphe the iconic Parisian landmark that was constructed on Napoleon s command during his campaign to bring all of Europe under his own control as emperor of the First French Empire He issued those orders the day after an event of national significance his army s supremacy at the Battle of Austerlitz But the first stone was laid on a day of personal significance Aug his own birthday Related Will we even notice when democracy is gone Although nobody should be surprised that Trump s vainglorious monument will evoke an authoritarian and imperial regime it is disturbing nevertheless The president is not the only autocratic-leaning ruler to favor the Napoleonic style triumphal arch Mussolini constructed the Arch of the Philaeni to glorify fascist Italy s colonial projects in North Africa Spain s fascist ruler Francisco Franco erected the Arco de la Victoria to celebrate his win over the Second Republic in the Spanish Civil War Plans for Trump s triumphal arch according to an artistic rendering he posted on Truth Social show a monument topped off by a winged statue of Triumph bringing it into dialogue with Franco s monument Trump s arch like all triumphal arches invokes a history of violence and conquest Consider the ancient Roman precedents The word and concept of the triumph itself embedded in the very notion of the triumphal arch evoke a specifically Roman military and imperial context the triumph was a ritual procession granted by the Roman Senate to victorious generals All surviving triumphal arches are from Rome s imperial period BC AD Naturally such arches tend to glorify the emperor Want more sharp takes on politics Sign up for our free newsletter Standing Room Only written by Amanda Marcotte now also a weekly show on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts Like the Arc de Triomphe Trump s proposed monument resembles the Arch of Titus the oldest surviving triumphal arch in Rome which is located near the Roman Forum The Arch of Titus makes an explicit and graphic connection between the architectural form of the triumphal arch autocratic leadership and violent conquest Constructed around CE by the Emperor Domitian to honor his brother the Emperor Titus who had in recent months died it celebrates Titus victorious siege of Jerusalem in CE which brought an end to the First Jewish Revolt and led to the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem The sculptural effort of the Arch of Titus depicts a triumphal march that displays the spoils of this conquest including treasures taken from the Jerusalem Temple like the seven-branched Menorah a key symbol of ancient and modern Judaism Like Trump s arch it also contains images of a winged Achievement accompanying Titus on his triumphal procession We need your help to stay independent Subscribe currently to advocacy Salon s commentary The violent imagery of the Arch of Titus which depicts conquest for the aggrandizement of the autocratic ruler of Rome is not unique The Arch of Septimius Severus CE on the Roman Forum celebrates Roman victories over the Parthians of modern Iraq and Iran In addition to winged Victories like that shown in the mock-up Trump s arch the sculptural activity of the Arch of Severus includes depictions of four major battles in Parthia and the spoils of war At its base in a position of figurative endorsement are enslaved Parthians in the custody of their new Roman masters Like the Arch of Titus this monument glorifies the destruction and subjugation of a conquered people When Trump held up little models of the arch during the announcement it was tempting to dismiss this as simple vanity something akin to Trump s self-memorializing real-estate ventures But one cannot deny the historical context of such architecture Roman triumphal arches were built to glorify the immense violent power of autocratic leaders As Trump moves to concentrate more and more power in the hands of the executive equating the process of governing body with personal caprice his choice of monument provides a concrete symbol of that increasingly authoritarian style Like his June military parade which transformed the th anniversary of the U S Army into a celebration of his own birthday Trump s triumphal arch turns American glory into a grotesque cult of personality It is a backward-looking symbol of violence and authority that aligns his regime with its predecessors in Napoleonic France and the modern fascist regimes of Franco and Mussolini Read more about this topic Trump s bulldozer is aimed at more than the White House Modern farmhouse devours the Rose Garden The fascist moment is here Have mainstream liberals heard the alarm go off The post Trump s triumphal arch is a monument fit for an emperor appeared first on Salon com