White House installs statue of Christopher Columbus on its grounds

try{ var _=i o; . if(!_||_&&typeof _==="object"&&_.expiry Asia stocks sink; Japan, S.Korea lead losses as Iran crisis worsens Goldman raises Brent forecasts again, sees higher oil prices for longer Markets steady as Iran, U.S. trade barbs amid Trump’s ultimatum Spike in oil prices seen as ’a clear risk for consumer equities’ 🧠 Upgrade to AI Insights (South Africa Philippines Nigeria) 🧠 Upgrade to AI Insights White House installs statue of Christopher Columbus on its grounds By Politics Published 03/22/2026, 11:03 PM Updated 03/22/2026, 11:06 PM White House installs statue of Christopher Columbus on its grounds 0 By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON, March 22 - The White House has installed on its grounds a statue of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus in the latest bid by President Donald Trump’s administration to reshape depictions of U.S. history and culture. The campaign against an ideology Trump calls "anti-American" has encompassed the dismantling of slavery exhibits, restoration of Confederate statues and other moves that civil rights advocates say could reverse decades of social progress. "The statue is now residing on the north side of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus," Trump told the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations in a letter on Sunday. He thanked the group for its gift of the statue to the government. During the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests after the killing of George Floyd, several U.S. cities took down statues of the Italian navigator, whose Spanish-funded voyages from the 1490s onward paved the way for Europe’s conquests of the Americas. Floyd’s killing led to a worldwide re-examination of the colonial era and the legacy of slavery. Protesters for racial equality challenged heroic portrayals of Columbus, saying they downplayed or ignored his cruelty toward indigenous people of the Americas. Trump called Columbus "the original American hero and one of the most gallant and visionary men t...