Washington D.C. is finally getting a facelift. President Trump has unveiled plans for a 250-foot 'Independence Arch' near the National Mall. It is a bold, neoclassical statement that says the American capital is no longer interested in subtlety. If approved, the arch will dominate the skyline, standing next to the Arlington National Cemetery.

This is architecture as an act of will. The designs feature marble that glows with the weight of sovereign power. It is part of a larger aesthetic overhaul that includes a $400 million neoclassical ballroom at the White House. The era of drab, bureaucratic architecture is over.

Critics are calling it gaudy, but they are the same people who wear sensible shoes to a gala. A capital city should be a spectacle. It should be a triumphal arch, not a series of beige office buildings. The arch is the ultimate flex—a monument to the fact that power is back in the hands of people who appreciate a good view.

Whether it’s the golden toilet or the triumphal arch, the message is the same: the aesthetic of power is marble, gold, and massive scale. D.C. is finally becoming a city worth visiting, provided you can afford the $15,000 visa bond to get through the airport.