The White House installed a statue of Christopher Columbus on its grounds

Trump maintains the traditional view of Columbus as the leader of the 1492 expedition, considered the unofficial beginning of European colonization of the Americas and the formation of the modern world order. However, in recent years, Columbus has also increasingly been seen as a symbol of Western Europe’s conquest of the New World, accompanied by the exploitation of its resources and indigenous people.

The White House said in a statement that the Trump administration considers Christopher Columbus a hero, and the president intends to ensure that he continues to be treated that way for years to come. The monument, made primarily of marble, was created by sculptor Will Hemsley, who lives in Centerville in eastern Maryland.

The original statue was toppled by protesters on July 4, 2020, and dumped into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor following a surge of public outrage following the death of George Floyd in police custody. The incident was one of many acts of vandalism against monuments to Columbus as protesters accused him of complicity in genocide and the oppression of indigenous peoples in the Americas.