Chicago – September 12, 2026
In late Friday night social media posts, President Donald Trump called on the Smithsonian to install a colossal statue of George Washington outside the National Museum of American History and a special exhibit honoring the nation’s first president.
Trump asked for an exhibit beginning now and continuing through Feb. 22, 2032, the 300th anniversary of Washington’s birth. For Constitution Day on Sept. 17, Trump asked the institution to install the 11-foot statue of Washington featured at the recent Freedom 250 IndyCar race in the museum’s Flag Hall.
He also wanted a 30-foot statue of Washington to replace the current “Infinity” sculpture by New York artist Jose de Rivera, commissioned by the federal government and installed in 1967.
