Report: Trump Campaign Might Bring Statues to Rallies
Could President Donald Trump be sharing the stage with George Washington? That enticing visual could be a reality if a report from ABC is grounded in fact.
The report, which does not identify sources, said that as liberals focus on the destruction of statues, future Trump rallies could have the president joined by statues of American heroes.
“The idea has been discussed by White House and Trump campaign aides, but no final decision has been made,” ABC reported, citing “sources familiar with the planning.”
One idea being considered is to have Trump joined by “America’s Founding Fathers.”
The speculation follows an Executive Order Trump issued last week calling for the creation of a “National Garden of American Heroes” by July 4, 2026.
The order creates a task force that will decide upon a suitable site for the project, and hints that statues being removed from cities in the face of protests could find a home there. The order also says the task force charged with developing the project should “encourage and accept the donation or loan of statues by States, localities, civic organizations, businesses, religious organizations, and individuals, for display at the National Garden.”
The task force will “prioritize projects that will result in the installation of a statue as described in subsection (b) of this section in a community where a statue depicting a historically significant American was removed or destroyed,” the order said.
Trump’s order lists a who’s who of American heroes he wants represented.
“The National Garden should be composed of statues, including statues of John Adams, Susan B. Anthony, Clara Barton, Daniel Boone, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, Henry Clay, Davy Crockett, Frederick Douglass, Amelia Earhart, Benjamin Franklin, Billy Graham, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King, Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Douglas MacArthur, Dolly Madison, James Madison, Christa McAuliffe, Audie Murphy, George S. Patton, Jr., Ronald Reagan, Jackie Robinson, Betsy Ross, Antonin Scalia, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washington, George Washington, and Orville and Wilbur Wright,” he wrote.
President @realDonaldTrump announced the creation of a new monument: the National Garden of Heroes!
It will be a vast outdoor park featuring statues of the greatest Americans who have ever lived. We will honor extraordinary citizens from every part of our nation. pic.twitter.com/Q8obzrUUl0
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 5, 2020
In his executive order, Trump notes that a wide range of Americans could be represented in the heroes’ garden in addition to those he named.
“Examples include: the Founding Fathers, those who fought for the abolition of slavery or participated in the underground railroad, heroes of the United States Armed Forces, recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor or Presidential Medal of Freedom, scientists and inventors, entrepreneurs, civil rights leaders, missionaries and religious leaders, pioneers and explorers, police officers and firefighters killed or injured in the line of duty, labor leaders, advocates for the poor and disadvantaged, opponents of national socialism or international socialism, former Presidents of the United States and other elected officials, judges and justices, astronauts, authors, intellectuals, artists, and teachers. None will have lived perfect lives, but all will be worth honoring, remembering, and studying,” he wrote.
The order included a lesson from Trump on why America’s public places have statues that have been objects of hate and derision over the past month.
“These statues are silent teachers in solid form of stone and metal. They preserve the memory of our American story and stir in us a spirit of responsibility for the chapters yet unwritten. These works of art call forth gratitude for the accomplishments and sacrifices of our exceptional fellow citizens who, despite their flaws, placed their virtues, their talents, and their lives in the service of our Nation,” Trump wrote in the order.
“These monuments express our noblest ideals: respect for our ancestors, love of freedom, and striving for a more perfect union. They are works of beauty, created as enduring tributes. In preserving them, we show reverence for our past, we dignify our present, and we inspire those who are to come. To build a monument is to ratify our shared national project,” Trump said.
He said the nation is wounded when a monument becomes twisted metal or shattered plaster.
“To destroy a monument is to desecrate our common inheritance. In recent weeks, in the midst of protests across America, many monuments have been vandalized or destroyed. Some local governments have responded by taking their monuments down,” Trump wrote.
The president said rioting will not wipe away the story that monuments tell.
“These statues are not ours alone, to be discarded at the whim of those inflamed by fashionable political passions; they belong to generations that have come before us and to generations yet unborn. My Administration will not abide an assault on our collective national memory. In the face of such acts of destruction, it is our responsibility as Americans to stand strong against this violence, and to peacefully transmit our great national story to future generations through newly commissioned monuments to American heroes,” he wrote.
During his Independence Day speech at Mount Rushmore, Trump lashed out at those who attack monuments.
“Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children,” Trump said.
“Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our Founders, deface our most sacred memorials, and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities. Many of these people have no idea why they are doing this, but some know exactly what they are doing. They think the American people are weak and soft and submissive. But no, the American people are strong and proud, and they will not allow our country, and all of its values, history and culture, to be taken from them,” Trump said.
Trump called for a fight to defeat what he called “far-left fascism.”
“In our schools, our newsrooms, even our corporate boardrooms, there is a new far-left fascism that demands absolute allegiance. If you do not speak its language, perform its rituals, recite its mantras, and follow its commandments, then you will be censored, banished, blacklisted, persecuted and punished. It’s not going to happen to us,” Trump said.
“Make no mistake: This left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution. In so doing, they would destroy the very civilization that rescued billions from poverty, disease, violence and hunger, and that lifted humanity to new heights of achievement, discovery and progress,” Trump said, adding, “To make this possible, they are determined to tear down every statue, symbol and memory of our national heritage.”
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