Trump announces plan to add 'promenade' to Lincoln Memorial

The president said it would connect the monument to the Potomac River.

ByABC NEWS ABCNews logo
Thursday, June 4, 2026 9:22PM
ABC News Live

President Donald Trump on Thursday announced his administration intends to build a "promenade" to connect the Lincoln Memorial to the Potomac River.

"It will be the promenade. 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," Trump said at an event in the Oval Office.

It would be the latest project in Trump's effort to remake Washington, D.C., in his second term.

Work continues on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Thursday, June 4, 2026, as seen from the Washington Monument in Washington.
Work continues on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Thursday, June 4, 2026, as seen from the Washington Monument in Washington.
AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough

The White House East Wing was demolished last year to make way for Trump's controversial ballroom project. The president has also proposed a massive "triumphal arch" be built near Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac River and Lincoln Memorial. Both projects have drawn lawsuits.

Trump also added his name to the Kennedy Center and planned a two-year overhaul of the cultural institution. But he abandoned those plans last week after a federal judge ruled he couldn't rename the performing arts venue or close its doors. His name is expected to soon be removed from the side of the building.

Currently, renovations are underway across the nation's capital for the administration's celebration of America's 250th birthday. That includes the building of an Ultimate Fighting Championship Octagon on the South Lawn and Ellipse, as well as a repainting of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

Trump gave an update on the reflecting pool during Thursday's Oval Office event.

"The water is pouring in as we speak ... nice, clean water," the president said.

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