The grandnephew of the late President John F. Kennedy has slammed President Donald Trump’s scheme to build a mega-arch, saying, “You gotta make sure that this is done the right way.”
Trump, 80, wants to build a 250-foot triumphal arch on Memorial Circle, across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. His vanity arch would be twice the size of the Lincoln Memorial. Historic preservation groups and war veterans have called out the negative impact Trump’s gigantic arch would have on other local historic monuments.
A lawsuit filed by nine members of the Kennedy family on Tuesday has attempted to stop construction of the arch, stating it would cast a shadow on the grave of former President John F. Kennedy, as well as other graves in the Arlington National Cemetery, where thousands of military dead are buried and remembered.
Former Congressman Joe Kennedy III speaks to Anderson Cooper on CNN.
An analysis by The Washington Post found that, for up to nine minutes, 18 days a year, Trump’s colossal vanity arch would cast a shadow over the eternal flame at JFK’s grave.
Speaking to Anderson Cooper on Wednesday’s 360°, former Congressman Joe Kennedy III, the grandnephew of the former president, explained the family’s motivation for the legal action, saying America has “no more sacred ground” than Arlington National Cemetery.
“Congress, in trying to preserve the nature of that sacred territory, has set up a series of rules and structures to make sure that any territory around the District of Columbia, D.C., can’t just be built upon willy-nilly,” Kennedy said.
“Congress has to authorize it so that it’s done and according to the appropriate rules and regulations,” he added. “This arch went through none of those.”
Former Congressman Joe Kennedy III speaks to Anderson Cooper on CNN.
Kennedy served as the Democratic rep for Massachusetts’ 4th congressional district from 2013 to 2021. His father, Joseph P. Kennedy II, is the eldest son of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy.
Telling the CNN host he was speaking out on the issue as someone with family members in the cemetery, Kennedy said, “All we’re saying is, ‘Look, you gotta go through those policies and procedures. You gotta make sure that this is done the right way.’”
He added, “Nobody gets to just decide that they’re going to build a 250-foot building that is going to change the context and contour of this territory.”
U.S. Representative Joe Kennedy III (R) hugs his father, former U.S. Representative Joe Kennedy II, after announcing his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., Sept. 21, 2019.
Cooper pointed out that the White House said it was “unfortunate” to see some members of the Kennedy family joining the litigation against Trump’s arch, releasing a statement that claimed the project was “intended to honor our heroes” in Arlington Cemetery.
The CNN host then noted the Trump administration has also flagged that the arch will double as a military complex featuring a sniper’s nest, drone storage, and ammunition depots.
Vehicles cross the Memorial Bridge near Memorial Circle in Arlington, Virginia, the proposed site for U.S. President Donald Trump’s Triumphal Arch, seen from the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
“I’m not certain the White House messaging on this has been consistent,” Kennedy said, saying that if Trump plans to “irrevocably alter the nature of this holy sacred ground” at Arlington, it needs to be approved by Congress and the American public before it can be built.
Kennedy added that even the Trump administration had acknowledged there would be “negative impacts” on Arlington after building the arch, and added, “they’ve changed the rationale for it repeatedly.”
He said the lawsuit was filed because of his family connection to individuals who are interred there.
Kennedy said, “My namesake, Joseph Kennedy, was a… pilot who was killed in World War II, his remains were never found. He’s got a memorial tombstone there, right next to my grandfather’s, right next to both of my great uncles.”
U.S. President Joe Biden appears with former U.S. Representative Joe Kennedy III at the Martin Luther King Recreation Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., April 18, 2024.
Kennedy added, “I’m not alone in having numerous relatives there. And all we are saying, as family members that have loved ones there, you’ve got to go through the process that Congress laid out. A president of the United States doesn’t get to sidestep that because they want to build a building. It’s not the way it works.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
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