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Trump’s latest White House remake? Adding a Christopher Columbus statue to the grounds
President Donald Trump is set to install a statue of Christopher Columbus on the White House grounds, marking just the latest in a sea of changes made to the executive mansion over the past year, according to a new report.
The figure of the 15th century explorer — whom Trump has long praised and defended — will be erected near the Ellipse, on the south side of the White House, according to The Washington Post, citing multiple unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
The artwork is a reconstruction of a Baltimore statue toppled by protesters and hurled into the city’s harbor in 2020, amid nationwide racial justice demonstrations.
The statue — initially unveiled by former President Ronald Reagan — was restored by Maryland sculptors in conjunction with Italian-American politicians and businessmen. It could be transferred from Maryland to Washington, D.C. in a matter of weeks, per the Post.
The administration did not confirm these plans, though, it heaped praise on Columbus.
President Trump plans to install a statue of Christopher Columbus on the White House grounds, according to a new report (AFP via Getty Images)
“In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero. And he will continue to be honored as such by President Trump,” Trump spokesman Davis Ingle told the outlet.
Trump has long championed Columbus — whose voyages to the New World paved the way for European colonization and who, in recent decades, has been at the center of controversy amid a reassessment of his brutal treatment of indigenous peoples.
On the 2024 campaign trail, Trump promised to celebrate Columbus Day, which falls on October 12, the anniversary of the Genoese explorer setting foot in the Americas. And, in October, Trump signed an order recognizing Columbus as “the original American hero.”
“I’m bringing Columbus Day back from the ashes,” the president wrote on Truth Social in April. “The Democrats did everything possible to destroy Christopher Columbus, his reputation, and all of the Italians that love him so much. They tore down his Statues, and put up nothing but ‘WOKE,’ or even worse, nothing at all! Well, you’ll be happy to know, Christopher is going to make a major comeback.”
The president also signed an executive order in March seeking to eliminate “corrosive ideology” from the federal government and curb what it described as a “widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history.”
Trump has paved over the Rose Garden, installed towering flag poles on the lawn, affixed golden adornments to the Oval Office, and, most notably, tore down the East Wing to make room for his massive ballroom project (The White House)
The statue, if erected, will be just one of many changes Trump has made to the White House since returning to office last January.
He’s paved over the Rose Garden, installed towering flag poles on the lawn, affixed golden adornments to the Oval Office, and, most notably, tore down the East Wing to make room for his massive $400 million ballroom.
A new status of Donald Trump is being created and will be placed at his golf club in Miami. The statue was made by artist Alan Cottrill (Instagram/alan cottrill)
He also has broader transformations planned for Washington, D.C., including a victory arch near the Potomac River and renovations to the city’s golf courses.
And another statue, this time of Trump himself, will soon be put in place. The 22-foot bronze piece — dubbed “Don Colossus” — is scheduled to be erected in Miami, Florida, later this year. Funded by a group of cryptocurrency investors, the monument will greet world leaders for the upcoming Group of 20 summit.