President Donald Trump is reportedly planning to place a statue of Christopher Columbus on the south side of the White House grounds, three sources told The Washington Post.
President Donald Trump reportedly plans to erect a statue of Christopher Columbus on the White House grounds REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo (REUTERS)Also Read: Trump Talks Iran, US-China Trade With Xi Jinping
Christopher Columbus Statue RestorationAccording to the Washington Post, the Columbus statue, to be placed outside the White House, will likely be a rebuilt version of a monument erected in Baltimore in 1984.
The statue was previously torn down in the city’s harbor during racial justice protests in 2020. The statue was rebuilt with the help of the Italian-American community, with support and financial assistance from federal grant funds, and is currently stored in Maryland.
The statue is expected to be moved from a warehouse on Maryland’s Eastern Shore to the Trump administration, according to an Italian-American businessman who helped restore the sculpture.
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“Remember when you go to the voting booth, I reinstated Columbus Day.”Columbus is a polarizing figure, hailed by some as a hero and criticized by others for his role in starting centuries of violence and colonialism.
Trump has often presented himself as a staunch defender of a past that he claims has been “discredited by left-wing arsonists,” the Washington Post reports.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle said that “in this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero.” He added, “And he will continue to be honored in this way by President Trump.”
Trump has taken measures such as reinstating Columbus Day, which was pushed to replace it with Indigenous Peoples Day under the Biden administration.
In October 2025, Trump signed a presidential proclamation recognizing Columbus as a “real American hero” and establishing an annual holiday, which he promised to implement during his 2024 campaign.
“The people of Italy are very happy about it. Remember when you go to the voting booth, I reinstated Columbus Day,” Trump said.
He added, “We’re back, Italians. OK? We love Italians.” Trump told reporters at the White House last month that it would help the Trump administration in the upcoming midterm elections, The Washington Post reported.
