Trump to host Columbus celebration and unveil 13-foot statue at White House

Donald Trump announced a White House celebration of Christopher Columbus scheduled for Friday, timed ahead of Columbus Day, which he pledged to revive. The event will showcase a 13-foot replica of a statue that was destroyed by protesters in Baltimore’s harbor in July 2020 and subsequently salvaged by a group of local businessmen, former state senator John A. Pica Jr., and Italian-American leaders. After years of fundraising and a $150,000 reconstruction effort led by artist Tilghman Hemsley, the monument was moved to a warehouse on the Eastern Shore before being delivered to the capital.

Trump’s aides coordinated with Republican congressman Michael Rulli and his domestic policy council director Vince Haley to secure placement on the White House grounds. The celebration underscores a broader cultural clash, as President Joe Biden marked the same day with a proclamation for Indigenous Peoples’ Day, while activists across the country continue to target Columbus monuments.