Trump Demands Return of Removed Columbus Statue, Drawing Sharp Rebuke from Ohio Leaders
Donald Trump called for the restoration of a 22-foot Christopher Columbus statue in Ohio during a White House event. City leaders in Columbus quickly pushed back, citing local priorities and ongoing federal litigation over the monument's removal.
Former President Donald Trump called for the return of a controversial Christopher Columbus statue during a Columbus Day event at the White House on Oct. 9, igniting pushback from local leaders in Columbus, Ohio. According to reporting from Atlanta Black Star citing ABC 6, Trump publicly demanded that the 22-foot monument be reinstalled in the city's downtown area. The statue, which was originally presented to Ohio’s capital by Genoa, Italy, in 1955, stood outside Columbus City Hall for 65 years.
In the summer of 2020, Mayor Andrew Ginther ordered the monument removed amidst nationwide protests for racial justice following the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. It has remained out of public view since its removal. Local leadership quickly rejected Trump's demands to reinstate the monument. Mayor Andrew Ginther told ABC 6 that his priorities remain centered on local residents and everyday community issues, adding that national leaders should focus on economic concerns rather than political division.
Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin offered an even sharper rebuke in a Facebook statement, urging Trump to leave the city out of his national political messaging. The dispute over the monument is currently playing out in the legal system. As reported by local outlet WOSU, several Italian American organizations filed a federal lawsuit in April against the city, Mayor Ginther, and multiple federal agencies. The lawsuit contends that the removal breached original gift conditions requiring the statue to remain permanently outside City Hall.
A design firm previously retained by the city recommended moving the artwork to a local park, though city officials stated they would refrain from detailed public comment while court proceedings are ongoing. Trump's focus on historical monuments extends beyond Ohio. Earlier this year, his administration placed a 13-foot replica of a Baltimore Columbus statue—which had been toppled into Baltimore harbor in 2020—outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House.
The Washington Post reported that Trump's renewed rhetoric surrounding monuments and Columbus Day is widely viewed as a campaign strategy aimed at appealing to Italian American voters ahead of upcoming midterm elections. While local residents in Columbus remain divided on social media regarding whether to store the statue in a museum, keep it, or rename the city entirely, legal decisions will ultimately dictate the monument's fate. As reported by Atlanta Black Star, city officials are awaiting a ruling from a federal judge to resolve the pending lawsuit.