Trump Seeks 30-Foot George Washington Statue at Smithsonian Museum

Evelyn Hockstein / REUTERS President Donald Trump is calling on the Smithsonian to make drastic design changes to fulfill his vision of how the museum should look.

Trump, 80, ramped up his crusade against the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., by demanding the erection of a 30-foot George Washington statue at the entrance to the National Museum of American History, another 11-foot statue in its Flag Hall, and a five-year exhibition dedicated to the founding father.

“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,” he wrote on Truth Social late Friday night.

“That strange modernist sculpture tells visitors nothing about America, inspires no one, and honors none of our Great American Heroes.” The president dedicated two lengthy Truth Social posts to his request for the storied museum, which is governed by the Smithsonian Board of Regents—composed of the chief justice, the vice president, three senators, three congressmen, and nine citizens.

Trump argued that the museum has “failed to give George Washington and our other Founding Fathers the celebration they deserve” on America’s 250th anniversary.

“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,” he wrote.

“That tells you all you need to know about how twisted the thinking is today at the Smithsonian.” “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,” he added.

Trump attached what appeared to be AI-generated photos showing a colossal George Washington statue at the museum entrance in place of the Infinity , a sculpture created by Jose de Rivera in 1997.

“Replace a sculpture that says nothing about America with the man who, more than anyone else, says everything about America,” he said.

“This is how we should begin to honor George Washington in the lead-up to his 300th birthday in 2032.” The Smithsonian Institution did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump, who has been on a quest to remake D.C. in his image, has had his eyes on the Smithsonian since he returned to office last year.