President Donald Trump called Friday for the Smithsonian Institution to honor George Washington with a 30-foot statue outside the National Museum of American History, replacing the modernist “Infinity” sculpture which has been there since 1967.
Trump said on social media that the Smithsonian should first install in the museum’s Flag Hall the 11-foot statue of George Washington that was recently featured at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix race. It should do so by Sept. 17 to mark Constitution Day, he said.
Then the Smithsonian should “install a 30-foot Washington Colossus where “Infinity” stands today” as soon as possible, Trump wrote. “Replace a sculpture that says nothing about America with the man who, more than anyone else, says everything about America.”
He also called on the Smithsonian to organize a special exhibition on Washington, running through February 2032, to mark the 300th anniversary of the first U.S. president’s birthday.
The comments mark his latest attempt to cement his vision on the institution which is the world’s largest museum, education and research complex.
The White House historically does not have direct control over the particulars of the Smithsonian or its museums’ exhibits, but it has threatened to withhold congressionally appropriated money.
The Smithsonian Institution has operated independently as a public-private partnership since it was created by an act of Congress in 1846.
However, the Trump administration has made unprecedented attempts to edit the institution, including through an executive order issued in March 2025 that aimed to eliminate “anti-American ideology” in a move that dismayed historians.
“Instead of focusing on ideological activism, the leaders of America’s taxpayer-funded, National History Museum should be focused on telling America’s story—fairly, accurately, and coherently—and there is no better person to start with than George Washington,” Trump wrote Friday.
The White House has also launched reviews of content of several Smithsonian museums and criticized exhibits. In July, the Trump administration issued a 162-page report on the National Museum of American History, accusing it of “extreme political activism.” The institution rejected the claims, saying it is committed to serving the American public.
The White House and the Smithsonian did not immediately reply to an overnight request for comment.
In his post Friday, Trump criticized decisions made under “recently ended leadership” in an apparent reference to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, who announced his retirement this week.
José de Rivera’s “Infinity” sculpture, a thin stainless steel ribbon that rotates on a black granite pylon, was the first abstract sculpture permanently installed on the National Mall. De Rivera died in 1985.
Trump’s call for the sculpture to be replaced comes after the Kennedy Center removed Joel Shapiro’s landmark “Blue” sculpture from its grounds last week without prior warning.
Josef Palermo, the center’s curator of visual arts and special programming from June 2025 to March, told The Washington Post he was ordered to remove the outdoor artwork because Trump wanted a new collection once the center reopened after a proposed closure for nearly two years of renovations.
The post Trump wants Smithsonian to replace sculpture with 30-foot George Washington appeared first on Washington Post.
