A statue of Christopher Columbus has been installed on the White House grounds on the orders of US President Donald Trump in a decision that has sparked intense political and cultural debate in the country.
The sculpture has been placed in front of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next to the presidential complex, and is a replica of a monument unveiled in 1984 in Baltimore that was torn down during protests over the killing of George Floyd in 2020.
According to the White House, the move seeks to vindicate the figure of the navigator, known for his expeditions financed by Spain, which marked the beginning of European expansion in America, as a fundamental part of Western history. Trump has described Columbus as “the original American hero”, in line with his policy of reinforcing a traditional view of the past.
“In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero, and President Trump will ensure that he is honoured as such for generations to come,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in an official statement.
The statue, donated by Italian-American organisations, is part of a broader strategy of the Republican president to restore historical symbols removed in recent years. In this sense, Trump had already pushed for the recovery of Columbus Day in the official calendar, replacing the Indigenous Peoples’ Day promoted by the previous administration.
The decision has been interpreted by supporters as a gesture of defence of Western cultural heritage and national pride. However, critics and social organisations see it as a vindication of a figure linked to the beginning of colonisation and abuses against indigenous peoples.