“He is easily America’s Greatest Hero. Without him, our Country and our Freedoms wouldn’t exist,” President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday, announcing what he wants the Smithsonian Institution to build in honor of George Washington.
The requests are specific. Trump called for a 30-foot “Colossus statue” of the first president and an exhibition on his legacy at the National Museum of American History in Washington. He also asked that the 11-foot statue of Washington that appeared at August’s Freedom 250 IndyCar race go on display in the museum’s Flag Hall. The exhibition, titled “Life and Legacy,” would run five years, through February 22, 2032, the 300th anniversary of Washington’s birth.
A running dispute
This is the latest step in Trump’s effort to reshape a museum system he has faulted over how it presents American history and values. He has sought to root out what he calls “woke” culture and has accused the Smithsonian, which operates 21 museums and galleries, of trying to rewrite the story of the country on race and gender. A 162-page White House report said Smithsonian leadership had “consistently denigrated and displaced whites, males, Christians, and Americans in educational materials and programming.”
The Smithsonian was created by the federal government in 1846. It sits in an unusual position, outside any branch of government.
