Trump spotlights Christopher Columbus statue near White House, honors Italian Americans
WASHINGTON, DC: On September 7, President Donald Trump spotlighted a Christopher Columbus statue he had placed outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next to the White House.
He described the monument as a tribute to the Italian American community, doing so well ahead of Columbus Day.
The statue in front of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is adjacent to the White House, is a replica of one that was thrown into Baltimore’s harbor in 2020 during nationwide protests.
Trump’s Columbus statue has controversial Baltimore history
The statue stands 13 feet tall and weighs a ton. The administration installed it in March as part of the America250 celebrations. It isn’t new.
Christopher Columbus proudly stands at the entrance to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, directly adjacent to the White House, one of the most important Entrances to a Building in D.C. I did this in Honor of the Italian American Community — Industrious, brilliant,… pic.twitter.com/AR2F8zN90O
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) September 7, 2026
Instead, it’s a replica pieced together from parts salvaged from a Columbus monument in Baltimore. That original statue didn’t survive the protests following the George Floyd incident.
On July 4, 2020, demonstrators toppled it and tossed it into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, targeting Columbus over his legacy. Protesters argued that his arrival in the Americas marked the beginning of genocide against Indigenous peoples.
Trump posted a nighttime shot of the statue on Truth Social on Monday evening.
“Christopher Columbus proudly stands at the entrance to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, directly adjacent to the White House, one of the most important Entrances to a Building in DC.”
“I did this in Honor of the Italian American Community, Industrious, brilliant, wonderful people. It is something that they have greatly appreciated! President DONALD J TRUMP”
Ahead of the replica’s installation in Washington earlier this year, White House spokesman Davis Ingle made clear that the administration viewed Columbus as worth defending rather than reconsidering.
"In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero," Ingle told The Washington Post at the time. "And he will continue to be honored as such by President Trump."
Trump doubles down on Columbus as American hero
Trump keeps returning to the same story: Columbus as America’s bold discoverer.
Now, his latest post doubles down on that message. Putting the statue right near the White House isn’t just about history; it’s a clear sign of where his administration stands on Columbus and his legacy.
Trump keeps spotlighting the statue, further fueling the cultural fight over what Columbus means to Americans today.
For many people in Italian American communities, Columbus is more than history; he’s a symbol of pride and connection.
Trump has long been a proponent of the traditional view of Columbus as a hero who discovered America in 1492, when he sailed the ocean blue.
