A 13-foot statue of Christopher Columbus has been erected on the White House grounds outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the latest move by the Trump administration to restore historical monuments removed during the 2020 racial justice protests. According to Antigua News Room, which cited CNN reporting, the installation took place over the weekend.
The statue is a replica of one toppled and thrown into Baltimore's harbour during demonstrations that followed the murder of George Floyd. Notably, the new work incorporates pieces of the original statue retrieved from Baltimore Harbour, according to a release from the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations — the group that partnered with the White House to bring the monument to Washington.
President Donald Trump praised the organisation in a published letter, crediting it for its "incredible generosity" in bringing the statue to the capital after the original was, in his words, "torn down by anti-American rioters." Trump described Columbus as "the original American hero and one of the most gallant and visionary men to ever walk the face of the Earth," adding that Columbus' 1492 voyage "carried thousands of years of wisdom, philosophy, reason, and culture across the Atlantic into the Americas."
The White House expressed pride in the installation, framing it within the context of the United States' 250th anniversary of independence. "President Trump has rightly hailed Christopher Columbus as 'the original American hero, a giant of Western civilization,'", spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement. "In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero, and President Trump will ensure he's honored as such for generations to come."
The group's president, Basil Russo, said the statue carries deep significance for Italian Americans. "Columbus statues have long stood as symbols of pride and cultural identity for more than 18 million Americans of Italian descent," Russo said. "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."
Despite its prominent placement near the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery, the statue is not accessible for close public viewing and remains blocked off by rows of fencing.
Columbus, an Italian explorer often falsely credited as the first overseas explorer to reach the Americas, remains a deeply contentious historical figure due to his treatment of Indigenous peoples and his role in initiating European colonisation of the Americas. Many statues honouring him were removed at the height of the 2020 protests.
The Columbus installation is part of a broader pattern of monument restorations under the Trump administration. The White House has already reinstalled a statue of Confederate officer Albert Pike in Washington, D.C., and announced plans to return a Confederate memorial to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
