Image: from Occupy Democrats X@OccupyDemocrats
By Open Chronicle Staff | February 4, 2026
WASHINGTON — In a move that both satisfies a campaign promise and reignites a national debate over historical legacy, President Donald Trump is taking steps to install a statue of Christopher Columbus on the White House grounds.
According to sources familiar with the administration’s plans, the monument is slated for the south side of the executive mansion, near E Street and the Ellipse. The piece is not a new commission but a reconstruction of a 1984 statue that once stood in Baltimore’s Little Italy. That original work was toppled and thrown into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor by protesters during the racial justice demonstrations of 2020.
Trump planning to install Christopher Columbus statue outside The White House.
The statue will be a reconstruction of the Columbus statue from Baltimore that was torn down by BLM protesters and thrown into the harbor in 2020.
Source: Washington Post pic.twitter.com/yfL51vwtzw
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) February 4, 2026
The reconstruction project was spearheaded by a coalition of Italian American businessmen and politicians who recovered the fragmented remnants of the statue. Working with local sculptors and bolstered by federal grant funding, the group has spent years restoring the seven-foot-tall figure to its original state.
A Campaign Pledge Fulfilled
The installation fulfills a pledge made by the President during his 2024 campaign to protect and restore monuments dedicated to figures he describes as “heroes of the American spirit.”
“In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero,” said White House spokesman Davis Ingle in a statement released Wednesday. “And he will continue to be honored as such by President Trump.”
The President has framed the move as a defense of traditional American history against what he calls “left-wing arsonists” and “woke” ideology. Last October, he signed a proclamation officially recognizing Columbus as “the original American hero” and reinstating the federal prominence of Columbus Day, a holiday that had seen a shift toward “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” under the previous administration.
Strategic Timing
The announcement is widely viewed as a strategic outreach to Italian American voters ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. Last month, the President reminded reporters at the White House, “The Italian people are very happy about it. Remember when you go to the voting booths, I reinstated Columbus Day.”
The statue’s arrival in D.C. also aligns with the broader “National Garden of American Heroes” project, an initiative aimed at celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026. The administration has previously indicated a desire to fill the capital with statues that embody “daring, defiance, and excellence.”
Ongoing Controversy
The planned installation has not been without pushback. Historic preservationists have called for the move to undergo a rigorous federal review process before any permanent changes are made to the historic White House grounds.
Meanwhile, advocates for Indigenous rights argue that elevating Columbus ignores the brutal legacy of colonization and enslavement that followed his 1492 voyage. Despite the criticism, administration officials remain steadfast, viewing the restoration of the Baltimore statue as a victory for “the rule of law” over what they term “mob rule.”
The statue is expected to be transferred from its current warehouse on Maryland’s Eastern Shore to the White House in the coming weeks.