ANNAPOLIS, Md. \u2014 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\u2019s administration to recognize the controversial explorer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The statue is a replica of one that was tossed into Baltimore\u2019s harbor in 2020 during Trump\u2019s first term at a time of nationwide protests against institutional racism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump endorses a traditional view of Columbus as a leader of the 1492 mission seen as the unofficial beginning of European colonization in the Americas and the development of the modern economic and political order. But in recent years, Columbus also has been recognized as a primary example of Western Europe\u2019s conquest of the New World, its resources and its native people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero, and President Trump will ensure he\u2019s honored as such for generations to come,\u201d the White House posted on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are delighted the statue has found a place where it can peacefully shine and be protected,\u201d said John Pica, a Maryland lobbyist and president of the Italian American Organizations United, which owns the statue and agreed to loan it to the federal government for placement at or near the White House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The statue, made mostly of marble, was created by Will Hemsley, a sculptor based in Centreville on Maryland\u2019s Eastern Shore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The original statue was toppled by protesters on July 4, 2020, and thrown into Baltimore\u2019s Inner Harbor after anger boiled over following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police. It was one of many statues of Columbus that were vandalized around the same time, with protesters saying the Italian explorer was responsible for the genocide and exploitation of native peoples in the Americas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In recent years, some people, institutions and government entities have displaced Columbus Day with recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day. President Joe Biden in 2021 became the first U.S. president to mark Indigenous Peoples Day with a proclamation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump dismisses the shift on Columbus as \u201cleft-wing arsonists\u201d bending history and twisting Americans\u2019 collective memory. \u201cI\u2019m bringing Columbus Day back from the ashes.,\u201d he declared last April. Echoing his 2024 campaign rhetoric, he complained that \u201cDemocrats did everything possible to destroy Christopher Columbus, his reputation, and all of the Italians that love him so much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n