In the Trump administration’s latest effort to reshape cultural and historical representations in the nation’s capital, a Christopher Columbus statue has been reinstalled on White House grounds.
The statue is a replica of the one toppled by protesters in Baltimore in 2020. It was installed outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building over the weekend, as the Trump administration continues to push efforts to bring back statues removed during the protests.
In a letter published by the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, President Donald Trump praised the group for its “incredible generosity” for bringing the statue to Washington after the original was “torn down by anti-American rioters.”
Christopher Columbus Statue
Many Columbus statues were taken down during the height of protests over the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
Columbus has been a figure of contention in history, as he was falsely credited as the first overseas explorer to discover America, in addition to his treatment of Indigenous people and the European colonization of America.
The White House stated it is “proud” to honor Columbus. “As we celebrate our Nation’s 250th anniversary of independence, the WHite House is proud to honor Christopher Columbus’s legendary life and legacy with a well-deserved statue on the White House grounds,” spokesman Davis Ingle said to CNN.
“President Trump has rightly hailed Christopher Columbus as’the original American hero, a giant of Western civilization, and one of the most gallant and visionary men to ever walk the face of the earth.’ In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero, and President Trump will ensure he’s honored as such for generations to come.”
The statue stands 13 feet tall across from the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery, near the White House. It is blocked off by rows of fences and cannot be brought down by the public.
The replica was created using pieces of the original statue from Baltimore Harbor, according to the release from the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations.
Basil Russo, the group’s president, said, “Columbus statues have long stood as symbols of pride and cultural identity for more than 18 million Americans of Italian descent. For over a century, Columbus’s legacy helped Italian immigrants navigate prejudice and hardship, serving as a source of unity and belonging as they built new lives in this country.”
In his letter, Trump wrote, “Christopher Columbus was the original American hero and one of the most gallant and visionary men to ever walk the face of the Earth. His 1492 voyage carried thousands of years of wisdom, philosophy, reason, and culture across the Atlantic into the Americas.”
In addition to the Columbus statue, the Trump administration has reinstalled an Albert Pike statue in Washington, DC, and announced plans to reinstall a Confederate Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery.
Sources:
CBS News: Christopher Columbus statue Trump added near White House is replica of one downed by protesters
CNN: Statue of Christopher Columbus installed on White House grounds
AP News: Trump places statue of Christopher Columbus near the White House
Featured Image Courtesy of jessica’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
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