On Sunday, a 13-foot, one-ton replica statue of Christopher Columbus was installed outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House grounds, marking the latest development in an ongoing national debate over historical monuments.
The monument incorporates fragments recovered from a Columbus statue in Baltimore that protesters pulled down and threw into the city’s Inner Harbor in 2020. The original statue, dedicated in 1984 by then-Mayor William Donald Schaefer and former President Ronald Reagan, had been owned by the city before its removal during Black Lives Matter demonstrations, according to The New York Post.
Artists later retrieved marble pieces from the harbor to help reconstruct the figure. The effort was led by the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), which commissioned the replica after Baltimore authorities declined to reinstall the original or accept a similar monument. The group worked with the White House to secure placement of the statue in Washington.
Supporters say the installation aligns with commemorations of the United States’ upcoming 250th anniversary and reflects recognition of Italian American heritage. “Columbus statues have long stood as symbols of pride and cultural identity for more than 18 million Americans of Italian descent,” said Basil M. Russo, president of the conference, in a statement. “For over a century, Columbus’s legacy helped Italian immigrants navigate prejudice and hardship, serving as a source of unity and belonging as they built new lives in this country.”
Russo also pointed to the historical origins of Columbus Day. “Columbus Day itself emerged in the aftermath of the 1891 New Orleans lynching, when 11 Italian immigrants were killed by a mob of thousands, an event that prompted a national effort to promote the acceptance and assimilation of Italian Americans,” Russo continued. “This history remains central to why these monuments matter.”
The original statue’s destruction in 2020 came amid broader protests, with demonstrators criticizing Columbus for his role in the exploitation and suffering of Indigenous peoples in the Americas. At the time, a spokesperson for then-Baltimore Mayor Jack Young said the monument “may represent different things to different people,” reflecting wider national debates over public symbols.
President Donald Trump has previously expressed support for Columbus commemorations. After signing a proclamation recognizing Columbus as an American hero last year, he stated, “Columbus Day — we’re back, Italians,” and added, “We love the Italians.”
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