Trump Administration Installs Replica of Toppled Baltimore Columbus Statue at Eisenhower Executive Office Building on White House Grounds
On March 22, 2026, in the early morning hours the Trump administration installed a replica of the Christopher Columbus statue toppled in Baltimore on the north side of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House; the mostly‑marble work was rebuilt by Maryland sculptor Will Hemsley using salvaged pieces recovered from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and was spearheaded by Italian American groups, including COPOMIAO and Italian American Organizations United, which says it has loaned the statue to the White House until the end of Trump’s term. The White House framed the placement as honoring Columbus — tying it to the nation’s 250th anniversary and to a broader pushback against replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day and 2020 protest‑era statue removals.
📌 Key Facts
- The replica Christopher Columbus statue was lowered into place on March 22, 2026 (installed around 2 a.m. that Sunday) on the grounds of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House; an AP photo of the placement credited sculptor Will Hemsley.
- The statue is made mostly of marble and was created/rebuilt by Maryland sculptor Will Hemsley of Centreville on the Eastern Shore.
- Italian American Organizations United (and the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations/COPOMIAO) owns the replica; it had sat in storage, was rebuilt partly from salvaged pieces after Baltimore declined to reinstall it, and has been loaned to the federal government only until the end of President Trump’s term.
- Background on the rebuild: divers recovered pieces from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, funds were raised through grants and private contributions, and a Maryland sculptor reconstructed the monument.
- The statue was placed on the north side of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to another piece called “Freedom’s Charge,” and is on White House grounds rather than on the main South or North Lawn.
- The White House framed the installation as honoring a traditional view of Columbus tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary—an X post read, “In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero, and President Trump will ensure he's honored as such for generations to come,” and White House spokesperson Davis Ingle made related statements to Fox News.
- President Trump and allied groups presented the move as part of a broader cultural campaign: Trump has said he is “bringing Columbus Day back from the ashes,” accused Democrats of trying to “destroy Christopher Columbus” and called critics “left‑wing arsonists,” and he sent a letter to COPOMIAO president Basil M. Russo calling Columbus “the original American hero” whose 1492 voyage led to the triumph of Western civilization.
- Supporters and Italian American leaders emphasized cultural and protective motives: John Pica, president of Italian American Organizations United, said the group is “delighted the statue has found a place where it can peacefully shine and be protected,” and said the replica was being loaned to the White House while the group celebrates Italian heritage.
📊 Relevant Data
As of 2023, the number of Indigenous people in the United States is estimated at between 3.1 and 8.7 million, with around 20% living in American Indian areas or Alaska Native villages.
In 2024 data, American Indian and Alaska Native households experience poverty at a rate of 20.9%, compared to 10% for the typical American household.
New data explore U.S. economic conditions by race and ethnicity, including for American Indian and Alaska Native communities — Economic Policy Institute
In 2023, 21.8% of people who identify as American Indian or Alaska Native alone reported being in fair or poor health, the highest rate among racial groups.
American Indian/Alaska Native Health — Office of Minority Health
The American Community Survey estimated 16 million people, or 4.8% of the total U.S. population in 2022, reported Italian ancestry.
Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month: October 2023 — U.S. Census Bureau
Between 1880 and 1924, more than four million Italians immigrated to the United States, driven largely by economic hardships, political instability, and natural disasters in Italy, with immigration tapering after the Immigration Act of 1924 which imposed quotas on Southern Europeans.
The Dark and Forgotten History of Italian Immigration I bet You Didn't Know — LesHP
In Baltimore city, the White (non-Hispanic) population share decreased from 28.1% in 2010 to 27.2% in 2022, while the Black population was 59.2% in recent estimates.
Baltimore city, MD population by year, race, & more — USAFacts
📰 Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- PBS/AP piece confirms the statue is on the grounds of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House, aligning with prior reports that it is near the White House rather than on the main South or North Lawn.
- Adds the exact phrasing of the White House’s X post: “In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero, and President Trump will ensure he's honored as such for generations to come.”
- Quotes Italian American Organizations United president John Pica saying his group owns the statue and has loaned it to the federal government for placement at or near the White House, and that they are “delighted the statue has found a place where it can peacefully shine and be protected.”
- Identifies sculptor Will Hemsley as based in Centreville on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and clarifies the statue is made mostly of marble.
- Provides additional Trump rhetoric on the broader Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day fight, including his claim that “Democrats did everything possible to destroy Christopher Columbus, his reputation, and all of the Italians that love him so much,” and his description of critics as “left‑wing arsonists” twisting history.
- NPR specifies the statue was installed around 2 a.m. Sunday at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
- Italian American Organizations United president John Pica says the replica sat in storage for several years and is formally on loan to the White House only until the end of Trump's term.
- The piece adds detailed backstory: divers recovered pieces from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, money was raised via grants and private contributions, and a Maryland sculptor rebuilt the statue.
- NPR quotes Pica extensively on Italian American views of Columbus, noting they see themselves as 'stuck' with him as a symbol and that they celebrate Italian heritage rather than Columbus personally.
- White House spokesperson Davis Ingle explicitly tied the statue to the nation’s 250th anniversary and called Columbus’s life and legacy 'legendary' in a quoted statement to Fox News.
- The statue was spearheaded by the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), which rebuilt it partly from salvaged pieces after Baltimore refused to reinstall it in Little Italy.
- The statue now stands on the north side of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to another piece, 'Freedom’s Charge,' which Trump describes as a life‑size sculpture of the revolutionary struggle.
- Trump sent a letter to COPOMIAO president Basil M. Russo calling Columbus 'the original American hero' and claiming his 1492 voyage 'paved the way for the ultimate triumph of Western civilization' on July 4, 1776.
- The article situates the move explicitly as an answer to 2020 protest‑era statue topplings, recounting examples like a George Washington statue in Portland and Confederate monuments in Richmond.
- Confirms the installation timing and imagery: the statue was lowered into place on March 22, 2026, with an AP photo crediting sculptor Will Hemsley.
- Clarifies that the statue is made mostly of marble and was created by Maryland sculptor Will Hemsley from Centreville on the Eastern Shore.
- Adds an on-the-record quote from John Pica, president of Italian American Organizations United and a Maryland lobbyist, saying the group is 'delighted the statue has found a place where it can peacefully shine and be protected.'
- Provides fuller White House framing that Trump endorses a 'traditional view' of Columbus as the leader of the 1492 mission marking the unofficial beginning of European colonization and the modern economic and political order.
- Includes Trump’s prior statement that he is 'bringing Columbus Day back from the ashes' and his claim that 'Democrats did everything possible to destroy Christopher Columbus, his reputation, and all of the Italians that love him so much,' tying the statue to a broader cultural campaign.
- Reiterates the context of Biden’s 2021 Indigenous Peoples Day proclamation and the wider trend of replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day, underscoring the statue as an explicit rebuttal to that shift.