Although he has a history of taking on large scale construction projects, is US President Donald Trump considering one of his largest to date?
As Trump met with Finnish President Alex Stubb on Thursday, an AFP journalist and photographer noticed a mock up of a triumphal arch resting on his Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.The arch is situated on a traffic circle close to Arlington Cemetery, across the Potomac River from the white marble Lincoln Memorial, according to the plan, which includes little models on a map.
On the desk was a second, larger model arch that displayed additional details, such as a golden angel with wings carrying a torch and two white eagles on either side.
Both models bore similarities to the famous Arc de Triomphe in Paris, which was built in the early 1800s as a memorial to troops who had died in Napoleon's wars.
An inquiry about the strategy was not immediately answered by the White House.
However, in September, the nearly same painting was uploaded in the same location on the "Donald Trump for President" Facebook page, which has over six million followers.
The page linked the drawing to the celebrations for the 250th anniversary of US independence next year.
The 79 year old former real estate magnate Trump has eagerly started a number of construction and remodeling projects since taking office again in January.
He has, for instance, adorned the hitherto austere Oval Office's walls with gold, paintings, and decorations.
Additionally, he once broke off a conference to make a lengthy digression about the new draperies and other improvements he had made to the White House Cabinet Room.
A model of the enormous ballroom he is constructing next to the White House was seen on Trump's desk in a picture posted by his deputy chief of staff, Dan Scavino, on Wednesday.
Parts of the White House have been transformed by the brazen Republican to resemble his Mar a Lago estate in Florida, especially the recently paved Rose Garden with its yellow and white umbrellas and picnic tables.
