Trump installed a statue that was toppled during BLM protests at the White House, but he couldn’t help revealing the real reason behind the move

President Donald Trump has installed a Christopher Columbus statue on the White House grounds. It is a recreation of one that was toppled during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in Baltimore. The new statue stands outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and uses marble from the original monument.

An inscription on the statue notes that it was first dedicated in 1984, destroyed in 2020, and “resurrected” in 2022. The Italian American Organizations United of Baltimore gifted the statue to the White House in October, and it was installed over the weekend. White House spokesman Davis Ingle had hinted at the move in February, saying, “In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero. He will continue to be honored as such by President Trump.”

In a letter to Basil Russo, president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, as per the New York Times, Trump said he was honored that “this magnificent statue will now sit on the grounds of the White House.” He also described it as an “eternal memorial to courage, adventure, and the noblest aspirations of the human spirit as well as the extraordinary pride of our wonderful Italian American community.”

Trump has made his position on Columbus and his political motives very clear

Trump has been open about his reasons for bringing Columbus back into public attention, especially after more than 30 monuments to the explorer were removed across the country six years ago. He declared he would be “bringing Columbus Day back from the ashes.” He said, “The Democrats did everything possible to destroy Christopher Columbus, his reputation, and all of the Italians that love him so much.”

He continued, “They tore down his Statues, and put up nothing but ‘WOKE,’ or even worse, nothing at all! Well, you’ll be happy to know, Christopher is going to make a major comeback. I am hereby reinstating Columbus Day under the same rules, dates, and locations, as it has had for all of the many decades before!” This is just one of several controversial moves Trump has made recently; both parties pushing back on Trump’s decisions has become an increasingly common story in Washington.

Trump signed a presidential proclamation in October recognizing Columbus as “the original American hero” and formally acknowledging Columbus Day, celebrated on the second Monday in October. He told reporters in January, “The Italian people are very happy about it.

Remember when you go to the voting booths, I reinstated Columbus Day.” Critics, however, have raised broader concerns about Trump’s personal financial gains during his presidency, with some questioning whether his public moves serve personal interests.

The Columbus statue is not the only change Trump has made to the White House grounds. He has overseen the demolition of the entire East Wing to make way for a ballroom, and has also revealed plans to paint the 137-year-old Eisenhower Executive Office Building stark white.

When he showed Laura Ingraham a mock-up of the proposed renovations in November, she asked, “Are you not worried it’s like… a big white blob?” Trump replied, “No, what it does is it brings out the detail.” He added that the building was considered “really ugly” when it was first built in 1888, saying, “They used greystone, grey is for funerals, look at it now, how beautiful that is.”

He also admitted, “I don’t even know if I’m going to do it yet, I’m getting costs, I’m getting bids right now from painters, and we’ll see. It would be a great addition to Washington.” One group has already filed a lawsuit, arguing that the proposed changes violate federal preservation and environmental laws.