WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has asked the Smithsonian Institution to install a monumental statue of George Washington, approximately 30 feet tall, and to dedicate a special exhibition to the life and legacy of the first president of the United States.
Trump requested that the exhibition be presented for five years at the National Museum of American History, from now until February 22, 2032, the 300th anniversary of Washington's birth.
The proposal is part of Trump's efforts to promote a new vision of American history in Smithsonian museums. The president has previously criticized the institution, arguing that some of its exhibits place too much emphasis on episodes of oppression and not enough attention on the figures who contributed to the building of the United States.
For now, this is a presidential request, and not a confirmation that the Smithsonian has definitively approved the installation of the new statue.
