Trump wants Smithsonian to replace sculpture with 30-foot George Washington
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
President Donald Trump called Friday for the Smithsonian Institution to honor George Washington with a 30-foot statue outside the National Museum of American History, replacing the modernist “Infinity” sculpture which has been there since 1967.
He also called on the Smithsonian to organize a special exhibition on Washington, running through February 2032, to mark the 300th anniversary of the first U.S. president’s birthday.
The comments mark his latest attempt to cement his vision on the institution which is the world’s largest museum, education and research complex.
The White House historically does not have direct control over the particulars of the Smithsonian or its museums’ exhibits, but it has threatened to withhold congressionally appropriated money.
The Smithsonian Institution has operated independently as a public-private partnership since it was created by an act of Congress in 1846.
“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,” Trump wrote Friday.
The White House has also launched reviews of content of several Smithsonian museums and criticized exhibits. In July, the Trump administration issued a 162-page report on the National Museum of American History, accusing it of “extreme political activism.” The institution rejected the claims, saying it is committed to serving the American public.
The White House and the Smithsonian did not immediately reply to an overnight request for comment.
In his post Friday, Trump criticized decisions made under “recently ended leadership” in an apparent reference to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, who announced his retirement this week .
José de Rivera’s “Infinity” sculpture, a thin stainless steel ribbon that rotates on a black granite pylon, was the first abstract sculpture permanently installed on the National Mall. De Rivera died in 1985.
Trump’s call for the sculpture to be replaced comes after the Kennedy Center removed Joel Shapiro’s landmark “Blue” sculpture from its grounds last week without prior warning.
Josef Palermo, the center’s curator of visual arts and special programming from June 2025 to March, told The Washington Post he was ordered to remove the outdoor artwork because Trump wanted a new collection once the center reopened after a proposed closure for nearly two years of renovations.
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There over 100 sculptures of George Washington in the US on public display.
In spite of his racism.
That should lower the price of goods around the country! /s
Trump has vulgar taste. The only reason anyone even suffers such a greasy shit goblin like Trump's opinion is because some other greasy shit goblins elected it President, so we shouldn't be surprised when they suggest tearing down anything tasteful and replacing it with hideous and vulgar displays of their own insecurities.
how much do you want to bet that the end result of that statue bears a striking resemblance to the child molesting traitor in chief?
I'd prefer a 1/8 scale diorama of the J6 insurrection, with an alternative and proper ending, be put on display ...
Amen. Two things we should never forget, the foreign terrorist attack on our soil on 9/11 and the domestic terrorist attempted insurrection on January 6th. All those who attacked America and those who gave those enemies comfort should rot in their graves, from the 9/11 apologists to those supporting pardons for January 6th insurrectionists, they're all fucking traitors.
They should keep the sculpture that is there now. It's cool.