In France, Trump’s Triumphal Arch Draws Eye Rolls, and Echoes of Napoleon

In France, Trump’s Triumphal Arch Draws Eye Rolls www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/w...

In France, Trump’s Triumphal Arch Draws Eye Rolls, and Echoes of Napoleon www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/w...

www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/w... gift article

Pompidou and Mitterrand used grand architecture to project culture, modernity, and universal ideals. Trump’s triumphal arch appears to project sheer, backward-looking power. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/w...

In France, Trump’s Triumphal Arch Draws Eye Rolls, and Echoes of Napoleon The Arc de Triomphe in Paris, which the president vows to top in Washington, offers a lesson in the complicated history of monuments. gift article

Brutal! “Mr. Trump is pressing ahead with a plan to construct a triumphal arch in Washington that he envisions...as one-upping the Arc de Triomphe in the French capital. That has prompted jaded reactions in France, a land that is no stranger to political leaders afflicted with edifice complexes.”

In France, Trump’s Triumphal Arch Draws Eye Rolls, and Echoes of Napoleon www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/w...

In France, Trump’s Triumphal Arch Draws Eye Rolls, and Echoes of Napoleon www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/w...

(Free access) A fun read. “We laugh a bit about it in France, but behind it, there is meaning,” said Jean-Yves Le Naour, a French historian. “It is glorifying strength. Maybe soon there will be a Russian triumphal arch as well.”

In France, Trump’s Triumphal Arch Draws Eye Rolls, and Echoes of Napoleon www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/w...

The first time as tragedy, the second time as farce. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/w...

In France, Trump’s triumphal arch draws eye rolls.

www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/w...

In France, Trump’s Triumphal Arch Draws Eye Rolls, and Echoes of Napoleon The Arc de Triomphe in Paris, which the president vows to top in Washington, offers a lesson in the complicated history of monuments. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/w...

In France, Trump’s Triumphal Arch Draws Eye Rolls, and Echoes of Napoleon www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/w...

In France, Trump’s Triumphal Arch Draws Eye Rolls, and Echoes of Napoleon www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/w...

In France, Trump’s Triumphal Arch Draws Eye Rolls, and Echoes of Napoleon www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/w... 😆

[gift article] French commentators often describe [his] ambitions as “Pharaonic.” Sonia Devillers, noted that Trump was also building a cavernous ballroom next to White House and mused about whether his architectural tastes ran to those of a dictator." YES, THEY DO! www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/w...

All I see in Trump’s arch is Nazi Germany all over again. I pray it never comes to be. In France, Trump’s Triumphal Arch Draws Eye Rolls, and Echoes of Napoleon www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/w...

In France, Trump’s Triumphal Arch Draws Eye Rolls, and Echoes of Napoleon www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/w...

Napoleon was inspired to build a colossal monument by the pyramids of the pharaohs, Ms. Rouge-Ducos said, which he saw in 1798 during his invasion of Egypt with an army of about 36,000 troops. French commentators often describe Mr. Trump’s ambitions as “Pharaonic.” www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/w...