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President Donald Trump is taking steps to install near the White House a replica of a statue of Christopher Columbus that was pulled down and tossed into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor during protests in 2020.
John Pica, a Maryland lobbyist and president of Italian American Organizations United, said his group owns the statue and has agreed to loan it to the federal government for placement at or near the White House.
Pica told the Associated Press that he was contacted around Columbus Day last year by an intermediary who said the White House was searching for a statue of the explorer. After holding a straw vote, Pica said the organization unanimously approved lending the statue. The loan agreement was signed on Wednesday.
Asked about the chances of installation, Pica said he is “cautiously optimistic,” adding that placement could happen “possibly within two weeks,” though no firm timeline has been set.
The White House declined to comment on specifics but reiterated Trump’s support for honoring Columbus.
“In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero,” said Trump spokesman David Ingle. “And he will continue to be honored as such by President Trump.”
For Pica and his organization, placing the statue in Washington would highlight a prominent Italian figure long celebrated by Italian Americans. For Trump, it would align with his broader effort to shape how American history is presented as the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
President Trump has consistently defended a traditional portrayal of Columbus as the leader of the 1492 voyage that launched European colonization of the Americas and helped shape the modern political and economic order.
The statue bound for Washington is a replica of one toppled on July 4, 2020, and thrown into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor amid protests following the killing of George Floyd by police. Mangione said artist Will Hemsley used parts of the original statue, which had been installed during Ronald Reagan’s administration, to create the new version.
Pica said the statue is being loaned, not donated, and that his group would reclaim it if a future administration decides to remove it.