Donald Trump Announces Promenade Connecting Lincoln Memorial to Potomac River in Washington, D.C.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that his administration intends to build a "promenade" to connect the Lincoln Memorial to the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., as water was being pumped into the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

“Trump announces plan to add 'promenade' to Lincoln Memorial The president said it would connect the monument to the Potomac River”

ABC News

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, "It's called the promenade, will be the promenade," and said, "They want to call it the 'Trump Promenade' but I don't know if I want to do that, but it's going to be beautiful."

ABC News

The plan would extend the walkway behind the Lincoln Memorial toward the Potomac River, with Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum saying it would connect the back side of the Lincoln Memorial to the Potomac River.

Burgum said the promenade was part of the McMillian Plan and that a proposed pedestrian bridge would take visitors "right down to the water."

Trump framed the promenade as reviving what he described as the memorial’s original intended design, saying, "The Lincoln Memorial — the front was supposed to be the back."

He also said the project would revive the gateway to the water that he said was shut off, adding that "we're going to be doing that" and describing a way of going over two roadways.

CNN

During the same Oval Office appearance, Trump said, "The water is pouring in as we speak" and added, "Nice, clean water," while directing attention to footage of the refilling Reflecting Pool.

Some Democrats criticized the plan, and Rep. Ted Lieu wrote on X, "Spending taxpayer funds to create a trump [sic] promenade," as WJLA reported.

The promenade announcement came as Trump continued a broader effort to reshape Washington, D.C., including a proposed 250-foot arch near Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac River and Lincoln Memorial.

“Trump's Capital Vision: New Promenade and Monumental Plans Unveiled President Donald Trump announced plans to build a promenade at the Lincoln Memorial, possibly named Trump Promenade”

Devdiscourse

ABC News said both the triumphal arch and other projects have drawn lawsuits, and it also noted that Trump’s name was added to the Kennedy Center before a federal judge ruled he couldn't rename the performing arts venue without congressional approval.

USA Today reported that Congress has not authorized construction of a memorial arch on federal land managed by the National Park Service, and it said Public Citizen says a first step required by statute has not been completed.

In the same context of construction and oversight, USA Today also said Trump demolished the East Wing of the White House to make room for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom complex, a fact being contested in courts.