Trump demanded Smithsonian replace 1967 modernist sculpture with 30-foot George Washington statue, scrap 'Restorative History' center

On September 11, 2026, President Trump posted on Truth Social directing the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History to remove the "Infinity" sculpture — a modernist work by artist José de Rivera that has stood outside the museum since 1967 — and replace it with a 30-foot "Colossus" statue of George Washington. Trump also asked the museum to install an 11-foot Washington statue, previously featured at the Freedom 250 IndyCar race, in its Flag Hall by Constitution Day, September 17, and to open a five-year exhibition honoring Washington running through February 22, 2032.

Trump further called for the museum's recently-ended "Center for Restorative History" — an initiative that spotlighted historically excluded stories — to be replaced with a "Center for American Heroes," writing that the museum's focus on the oppressed gave little attention to Americans who "triumphed over great oppression." The Smithsonian Institution operates outside the executive branch and is governed by its own Board of Regents, which includes the vice president, the chief justice, members of Congress, and citizen appointees; it was not immediately clear whether Trump has legal authority to compel the changes, and the Smithsonian did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The directive follows a monthslong pattern of White House pressure on the Smithsonian's content, including a March 2025 executive order targeting what the White House called "divisive narratives," a White House report criticizing the museum's coverage of Washington and other Founding Fathers, a July 2026 order requiring warning signs on exhibits deemed "inaccurate," and threats from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and other officials to withhold federal support over the museum's curatorial choices.