President Donald Trump on Friday urged the Smithsonian Institution to honor George Washington at its National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
Trump asked the history museum to erect a new 30-foot “Washington Colossus” to replace the “Infinity,” which is an abstract rotating stainless steel sculpture that stands at the venue’s main entrance. The president also requested a new five-year exhibition “worthy of the Life, Sacrifice, and Contributions of George Washington.”
“Replace a sculpture that says nothing about America with the man who, more than anyone else, says everything about America,” Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social. “This is how we should begin to honor George Washington in the lead-up to his 300th birthday in 2032.”
As part of the request, Trump also wants to the see museum install within it’s Flag Hall an 11-foot statue of the first president that was recently featured at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix race on the National Mall.
The Smithsonian is a sweeping cultural hub, holding 21 museums, 21 libraries, the National Zoo, and research and education centers. It receives roughly $1 billion in federal funding, or around 62% of the institution’s funding.
The latest development comes as Trump has done battle with the Smithsonian throughout his second term, accusing the country’s premier cultural center of promoting “woke” ideology over a rational portrayal of U.S. history and culture.
Earlier this year, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and White House domestic policy assistant Vince Haley said federal departments and agencies could cut off relations with the Smithsonian if it continued to advance “a divisive, ideological agenda.”
The White House had previously suggested it could pull the $1 billion in federal funding from the Smithsonian.
LONNIE BUNCH TO STEP DOWN AS SMITHSONIAN SECRETARY
Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch, who announced Tuesday he plans to step down from the position, has defended the institution, saying the accusations are “not a fair characterization of the work and totality of the National Museum of American History.”
“At the Smithsonian, our work is driven by scholarship, accuracy and an uncompromising commitment to tell the fullness of America’s story,” Bunch wrote. The institution remains “focused on what grounds us: a steadfast commitment to scholarship, nonpartisanship, independence, accuracy, and integrity.”