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ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A statue of Christopher Columbus has been placed on the grounds of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House, the latest effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to recognize the controversial explorer.
The statue is a replica the one that was dumped into Baltimore Harbor in 2020 during Trump’s first term, at a time of national protests against institutional racism.
Trump supports the traditional view of Columbus as leader of the 1492 mission, seen as the unofficial start of European colonization in the Americas and the development of the modern economic and political order. But in recent years, Columbus has also been recognized as a major example of Western Europe’s conquest of the New World, its resources and its people.
“In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero, and President Trump will ensure that he is honored as such for generations to come,” the White House posted on X.
“We are delighted that the statue has found a place where it can shine peacefully and be protected,” said John Pica, a Maryland lobbyist and president of Italian American Organizations United, which owns the statue and has agreed to loan it to the federal government for placement at or near the White House.
The statue, made primarily of marble, was created by Will Hemsley, a sculptor based in Centerville, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
The original statue was toppled by protesters on July 4, 2020, and thrown into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor after anger boiled over following the attack. death of George Floyd in the hands of the police. It was one of several statues of Columbus that were vandalized around the same time, with protesters claiming the Italian explorer was responsible for the genocide and exploitation of indigenous people in the Americas.
In recent years, some people, institutions and government entities have replaced Columbus Day with recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. President Joe Biden became in 2021 the first American president to mark Indigenous Peoples Day with a proclamation.
Trump blames the change on Columbus as “left-wing arsonists” who distort history and distort Americans’ collective memory. “I am resurrecting Columbus Day from the ashes.” he declared last April. Echoing his 2024 campaign rhetoric, he complained that “the Democrats have done everything possible to destroy Christopher Columbus, his reputation and all the Italians who love him so much.”
