Bill Clinton Calls Out Donald Trump While Condemning the Triumphal Arch Claiming 'It's Hard To Make Up'

Bill Clinton mocked President Donald Trump's proposed triumphal arch while opening the Clinton Global Initiative meeting in New York on Tuesday, 22 September.

The former president used Trump's triumphal arch plan to question Washington's broader political priorities.

Clinton joked about Trump's proposal to give the structure a military role involving drones. 'Some of this stuff, it's hard to make up,' he told the audience.

Clinton did not mention Trump by name during the remarks, but repeatedly referred to projects and actions associated with his administration.

Bill Clinton Targets Trump Triumphal Arch Proposal

Trump has proposed a 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery and Reagan Washington National Airport. He has said the structure would also serve as a military complex housing drones and snipers.

Aviation experts and lawmakers have raised questions about drone operations near the airport, although the Federal Aviation Administration previously cleared the proposed structure itself with conditions.

Clinton approached the subject with sarcasm. 'I suppose I could take my entire allotted time to discuss the self-evident wisdom of building an Arc de Triomphe in Washington to hold all our drones,' he said.

The line drew laughter from the audience. Clinton then added the remark that supplied the sharpest moment of his criticism. 'Some of this stuff, it's hard to make up,' he said.

Trump's Triumphal Arch Opens a Broader Clinton Critique

The arch was only one example Clinton used during his speech. He also addressed the dispute surrounding efforts to add Trump's name to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.

US District Judge Christopher Cooper recently blocked the Kennedy Center board from adding Trump's name to the building. Cooper found that the proposed action conflicted with an existing court order and federal law.

Clinton argued that the political fight over the institution's name was distracting from more consequential questions.

'I personally think that the way we've argued about what's going on at the Kennedy Center and all that kind of stuff, I think we've been majoring in the minors,' Clinton said.

He questioned whether future generations would attach much importance to the names displayed on prominent buildings.

'You really think 100 years from now anybody's going to care very much about whose name's on what building?' he asked.

Trump's Triumphal Arch Fits Clinton's Warning on Political Power

Clinton broadened his criticism from buildings and monuments to the political climate itself. He said cooperation works better than conflict and argued against what he described as 'zero-sum thinking'.

'I believe that on the 250th anniversary of this country, we can't have a politics driven by zero-sum thinking: In order for me to win, you have to lose,' he said.

He also accused people currently in power of applying different standards to themselves and everyone else. 'Some days I can hardly believe what is happening in this country that I love so much,' Clinton said.

He continued by alleging that government had been 'weaponised' to settle personal scores, prosecute enemies and suppress free speech. Clinton also accused those in power of turning the federal government into 'a new profit centre for themselves and their allies'.

He argued that such conduct violated the spirit and letter of the Constitution's Emoluments Clause. Clinton did not name Trump while making those accusations.

The former president also returned to a theme that has followed him throughout his political career, arguing that diversity should be treated as an advantage rather than a weakness. He said the country could confront major challenges more effectively if leaders cared less about who received credit.

The Kennedy Center offered the simplest expression of that argument. 'Isn't it more important what happens in the building? And what happens outside the building?' Clinton asked.

Trump described a proposed 250-foot arch near Arlington National Cemetery as a possible military complex. The structure would be around 3,000 feet from Reagan Washington National Airport and within its main approach and departure corridors, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Trump has said the site could house drones, snipers and ammunition. The proposed arch remains subject to unresolved questions about its military function. The FAA has completed its assessment of the structure itself, but not of drone activity.