George Washington's presence on the National Mall isn't big enough for President Trump's liking. In a series of specific Truth Social posts on Friday night, Trump called on the Smithsonian to install a 30-foot "Colossus" statue of Washington outside the National Museum of American History and launch a five-year exhibit on the first president "beginning now," the New York Times reports. Trump wrote that the institution had shortchanged the founders during the nation's 250th anniversary year. He wants the proposed monument to supplant "Infinity," a 1967 modernist sculpture that the Smithsonian notes was the first piece of contemporary art commissioned by the federal government for the Mall.
Trump also called for an 11-foot Washington statue—created for the Freedom 250 IndyCar race—to be placed in the museum's Flag Hall by Constitution Day, Sept. 17. The demands extend Trump's broader campaign to reshape how American history is presented, including a March 2025 executive order accusing the Smithsonian of embracing a "race-centered ideology" and recent pressure that coincided with the announced departure of Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III. The White House has not had direct control over the Smithsonian, which was created by Congress, or its museums' exhibits, the Washington Post points out. But this one has threatened to withhold congressionally appropriated funding. The Smithsonian has not commented on Trump's plans.
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