Europe Asia News

US President Trump, in a statement on his social media account, called on the Smithsonian Institution to organize an exhibition on the life and legacy of George Washington, one of America's founders.

Trump said he wanted the exhibition at the National Museum of American History to run until February 22, 2032, the 300th anniversary of Washington's birth. Trump also proposed replacing the “Infinity” sculpture outside the museum with a 9-meter “Giant Statue” of Washington.

Describing George Washington as “arguably America's greatest hero,” Trump said: “Without him, our country and our freedoms would not exist.”

Trump argued that the museum had not provided sufficient celebration of Washington and the other Founding Fathers during the 250th anniversary of the United States, saying that Washington's crossing of the Delaware River on December 25, 1776, the victory at Trenton, and the stories of Americans who fought for independence should be featured more prominently in the museum.

Trump said the Smithsonian had established a “Center for Restorative History” and prepared a “Decolonization Plan” under the previous administration, arguing that these efforts focused largely on the oppressed while giving insufficient attention to those who overcame adversity and prevailed.

Trump said there should be a “Center for American Heroes” instead of a “Center for Restorative History” at the National Museum of American History, calling for the museum to: “Tell the stories of Americans who faced great challenges, overcame them, accomplished great things, defended our country, made America better, and helped our nation more fully achieve its founding ideals.”

Trump also argued that leaders of the taxpayer-funded National Museum of American History should tell America's history in a “fair, accurate and consistent” manner instead of focusing on “ideological activism.”