Trump's beleaguered state fair fumbles again as monument literally falls apart

A model of President Donald Trump's proposed triumphal arch during The Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., June 27, 2026. REUTERS/Daniel Heuer

President Donald Trump's Great American State Fair has suffered numerous setbacks already, but as the Daily Beast reported, it has been hit with a new embarrassment as a monument structure at the event appears to be literally falling apart.

The fair, currently underway in Washington, D.C., is being held as part of the festivities surrounding America's 250th anniversary. Since its announcement, it has been beset with setbacks, including numerous musical acts dropping out of a free concert series due to controversy. Now, it is also facing withering reports about its sparse attendance numbers, which have set off Trump's long-established obsession with crowd sizes.

In a report from Sunday, The Daily Beast noted a new development from the fair pertaining to one of Trump's other major obsessions: his D.C. construction projects. The event features a smaller mockup of the enormous "triumphal arch" that Trump intends to build near the Potomac River, and in addition to jokes about its meager size, attendees have also noted that bits of it are starting to fall off.

"The mini arch, which online critics have compared to the undersized Stonehenge in This Is Spinal Tap!, is installed at the event to remind the public of another expensive vanity project—currently estimated at $100 million—that the president hopes will mark his legacy," the report detailed. "The actual arch, modeled on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, would soar 250 feet if it is completed, making it nearly twice as high as the Lincoln Memorial and even taller than France’s iconic monument."

The outlet continued: "As for the mock-up: it appeared to be coming apart, with spectators telling The New York Times that the vinyl covering stretched over its wooden frame had already begun to wrinkle and separate... Reports of the deteriorating arch come hard on the heels of the peeling paint and blooming algae in Trump’s $14 million renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which is currently fenced off and closed while the president attempts to undo the damage."

The report further noted that the actual arch "would require crews to work 20 hours a day for two to three years using several cranes up to 320 feet tall," per planning documents from the Department of the Interior. If completed, the unpopular arch would dwarf the rest of the D.C. skyline and disrupt iconic views between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House.

"Critics have slammed the project as a massive, egocentric waste of money, while veterans groups have complained that its proximity to Arlington National Cemetery, where more than 400,000 veterans are buried, is sacrilegious," The Daily Beast added. "The huge monument would forever eradicate historic sightlines of iconic D.C landmarks and green space."

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