Trump Calls on Smithsonian to Build 30-Foot Washington Statue

Trump urges the Smithsonian to launch a five-year George Washington exhibition and replace a modernist sculpture with a “Colossus statue” of the first president outside the National Museum of American History.

First Published: September 11, 2026, 10:41 PM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald J. Trump called on the Smithsonian Institution to honor George Washington with a five-year exhibition and a 30-foot statue outside the National Museum of American History.

Trump asked the museum to run the exhibition through February 22, 2032, the 300th anniversary of Washington’s birth. He also called for a “Colossus statue” of the first president to replace the “Infinity” sculpture that stands outside the building today.

Here is the full post on truthsocial: “am calling on the Smithsonian Institution to honor the Life and Legacy of George Washington, America’s Greatest Hero, with a five-year exhibition at the National Museum of American History, beginning now, and continuing through, February 22, 2032, the 300th anniversary of Washington’s birth. I am also calling on the Smithsonian to erect a 30-foot “Colossus statue” of the Father of Our Country outside the Museum, to replace the so-called “Infinity” sculpture that stands there today. That strange modernist sculpture tells visitors nothing about America, inspires no one, and honors none of our Great American Heroes. George Washington does. He is easily America’s Greatest Hero. Without him, our Country and our Freedoms wouldn’t exist. And yet, during our Nation’s 250th Anniversary Year, the Museum has failed to give George Washington and our other Founding Fathers the celebration they deserve. Washington’s Heroic Crossing of the Delaware on December 25, 1776—One of the greatest moments and turning points of the Revolution—is not even mentioned in the Museum. His Victory at Trenton, and the stories of the Americans who fought and died for our Independence, deserve far more attention. Under recently ended leadership, the Smithsonian created a “Center for Restorative History,” and commissioned a “Decolonization Plan,” to focus attention overwhelmingly on those who have been oppressed, but there is almost no attention paid to those who triumphed over great oppression, and against great odds. One current exhibit describes the period of 1492 to 1776, including Christopher Columbus‘s discovery of the New World, and the European settlement of America, as the “Great Unsettling” of the Continent. That tells you all you need to know about how twisted the thinking is today at the Smithsonian. Instead of a Center for Restorative History, America’s National History Museum should have a Center for American Heroes. Tell the stories of Americans who faced great challenges, overcame them, built great things, defended our Country, made America better, and helped our Nation more fully live up to our Founding Ideals. That is a History worth teaching, because it is America’s story. Instead of focusing on ideological activism, the leaders of America’s taxpayer-funded, National History Museum should be focused on telling America’s story—fairly, accurately, and coherently—and there is no better person to start with than George Washington.” on September 11, 2026 at 10:31 PM ET.

This is Trump’s 8th message released today, and the last post was 5 hours ago, and it is not part of a thread. On average, Trump produces 18 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025. The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 10 of his 619 posts over the last 30 days classified as Culture posts.

A statue of George Washington already sits inside the National Museum of American History. American sculptor Horatio Greenough created the seated, toga-clad figure holding a sword with one arm raised, commissioned to stand atop the Capitol rotunda, according to alamy.

Trump’s post extends a wider campaign against the Smithsonian’s approach to American history. A White House release argued that the American History Museum features a display that refers to the founding of America as “a profound unsettling of the continent,” according to whitehouse.gov. That same release described the museum’s “American Democracy” exhibit as claiming that voter integrity measures are “attempts to minimize the political power” of new and diverse groups of Americans, according to whitehouse.gov.