Trump places a replica of Christopher Columbus statue near the White House

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A statue of Christopher Columbus has been placed on the grounds of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next door to the White House, in the latest effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to recognize the controversial explorer.

The statue is a replica of one that was thrown into Baltimore Harbor in 2020 during Trump’s first term at a time of nationwide protests against institutional racism.

Read more: Christopher Columbus statues removed from two Chicago parks

Trump supports the traditional view of Columbus as the leader of the 1492 mission that is seen as the unofficial beginning of European colonization in the Americas and the development of the modern economic and political system. But in recent years, Columbus has also been recognized as a prime example of Western European conquest of the New World, its resources, and its indigenous people.

The White House posted on the X website: “In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero, and President Trump will ensure that he is honored in this way for generations to come.”

“We are glad the statue has found a place where it can shine in peace and be protected,” said John Pica, a Maryland lobbyist and president of the Italian American Organizations, which owns the statue and has agreed to loan it to the federal government for placement in or near the White House.

The statue, made mostly of marble, was created by Will Hemsley, a sculptor based in Centerville on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Protesters toppled the original statue on July 4, 2020, and threw it into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor after anger mounted following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police. This was one of several Columbus statues vandalized around the same time, with protesters saying the Italian explorer was responsible for the genocide and exploitation of indigenous peoples in the Americas.

In recent years, some people, institutions and government agencies have replaced Columbus Day with recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. In 2021, President Joe Biden became the first US president to mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day with a proclamation.

Trump dismisses Columbus’ shift as “left-wing arsonists” who are distorting history and distorting Americans’ collective memory. “I will bring Columbus Day back from the ashes,” he announced last April. Echoing his 2024 campaign rhetoric, he complained that “Democrats have done everything they can to destroy Christopher Columbus, his reputation, and all the Italians who love him so much.”