Washington, Oct 9 (IANS) US President Donald Trump has demanded the immediate restoration of a Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus, Ohio, as he stepped up his campaign to protect historical monuments and accused his political opponents of trying to erase America’s heritage.
Speaking at a Columbus Day celebration in the East Room of the White House, Trump said the statue should be returned to its original place in the city named after the Italian explorer.
“But today, I’m officially calling for the statue to be returned immediately to where it belongs,” Trump said.
“We demand that Christopher Columbus be put back into the heart of Columbus, Ohio. We want it back in Columbus,” he added.
The President did not specify whether his administration would take legal or administrative action to secure the statue’s return.
His demand was part of a broader address in which he praised Columbus, celebrated Italian American contributions to the United States and condemned the removal of monuments during protests in recent years.
Trump said his administration had already taken steps to restore Columbus’s standing in American public life, including displaying statues at prominent locations in Washington.
“Christopher Columbus changed the future of humanity forever,” he said.
The President described Columbus as a hero and argued that opposition to his legacy had gone too far.
He said his administration had placed a statue of Columbus near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, across from the White House, and had received positive reactions.
Trump also announced plans to install another Columbus statue in the White House Rose Garden.
He said a 19th-century statue from Italy had been brought to the White House and that another statue, created by a craftsman involved in White House construction projects, would receive a prominent location.
The President said the administration had also renovated the fountain at Columbus Circle in Washington as part of a wider programme to restore public monuments.
He credited Interior Secretary Doug Burgum with helping oversee work on 82 monuments, fountains and statues across the capital.
Trump said several landmarks had suffered vandalism, including damage to stonework and graffiti on historic structures.
He argued that stronger enforcement of laws protecting federal monuments had helped prevent further destruction.
Recalling protests during his first term, Trump said he had invoked an existing law carrying severe penalties for damaging federal monuments.
He claimed that the warning had discouraged protesters who were preparing to pull down statues, including one honouring former President Andrew Jackson.
The President also recalled the destruction of a Columbus statue in Baltimore in July 2020.
He said protesters had pulled down the monument, which stood near the city’s Little Italy neighbourhood, and thrown its remains into Baltimore Harbour.
Trump praised Italian Americans who organised divers and equipment to recover the fragments and subsequently raised more than $100,000 towards rebuilding the statue.
He said the destruction of Columbus monuments had offended Italian Americans and that his administration was determined to reverse what he described as an attack on their heritage.
The President also criticised campaigns targeting monuments associated with George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson.
He said his administration would continue protecting historical figures whose contributions had shaped the United States.
–IANS
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