A statue of Christopher Columbus has been installed near the White House, the latest move by the Trump administration to reshape how history and culture are represented in the nation’s capital. The installation comes as debate continues over the legacy of Columbus and other historical figures amid a national reckoning on race and colonialism.
The statue, which stands almost 13 feet tall, was placed over the weekend in front of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. It is a replica of a statue originally erected in Baltimore that was removed during the protests following the death of George Floyd in 2020.
The statue contains pieces recovered from the original, which was thrown into Baltimore’s harbor. The Conferencia de Presidentes de las Principales Organizaciones Italoestadounidenses worked with the White House to bring the statue to Washington, celebrating Italian-American culture and the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary.
President Trump praised the organization for its “incredible generosity” in a letter, noting the statue was brought to Washington after the original was “torn down by anti-American rioters.”
“In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero, and President Trump will ensure he is honored as such for generations,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told The New York Times on Sunday.
Many statues of Columbus, an Italian often mistakenly credited as the first explorer to reach America from overseas, were removed during the height of protests following the death of George Floyd in 2020. Columbus has long been a controversial figure due to his treatment of Indigenous communities and his role in the beginning of European colonization in the Americas.
The statue is located near the Renwick Gallery, but is not easily accessible due to multiple rows of fencing surrounding it.
“Statues of Columbus have long been symbols of pride and cultural identity for more than 18 million Americans of Italian descent,” said Basil Russo, president of the Conferencia de Presidentes de las Principales Organizaciones Italoestadounidenses, in a statement. “For over a century, Columbus’s legacy helped Italian immigrants confront prejudice and hardship, serving as a source of unity and belonging as they built new lives in this country.”
Trump, in his letter, stated, “Christopher Columbus was the original American hero and one of the bravest and most visionary men to ever walk the face of the Earth,” adding that Columbus’s 1492 voyage “brought thousands of years of wisdom, philosophy, reason and culture across the Atlantic to the Americas.”
The installation is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to reinstall statues that were removed following the protests over the death of Floyd. Across the country, controversial statues – particularly Confederate monuments – were taken down after the widespread protests in 2020.
So far, the Trump administration has reinstalled a statue of Confederate officer Albert Pike in Washington, D.C., and announced plans to return a Confederate monument to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
