Toppled Confederate statue in DC to be replaced in line with Trump's executive order
The National Park Service announced Monday that the statue of Albert Pike, a Confederate brigadier general and a revered figure among Freemasons, would resume its previous position in Washington's Judiciary Square, a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol. It was the only outdoor statue of a Confederate military leader in the nation's capital.
The statue was pulled down with ropes and chains on Juneteenth in 2020 as part of mass protests following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. Confederate statues around the country were toppled by similar protests while several military bases named for Confederate leaders were renamed.
The Pike statue restoration, which is targeted for October, 'aligns with federal responsibilities under historic preservation law as well as recent executive orders to beautify the nation's capital and reinstate pre-existing statues,' the park service said in a statement.
In March, Trump issued an executive order entitled 'Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.' It decried post-Floyd efforts to reinterpret American history, stating, 'rather than fostering unity and a deeper understanding of our shared past, the widespread effort to rewrite history deepens societal divides and fosters a sense of national shame."
The order targeted the Smithsonian network of museums as having 'come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology.' It also instructed the Interior Department to restore any statue or display that was 'removed or changed to perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history, inappropriately minimize the value of certain historical events or figures, or include any other improper partisan ideology.'
Pike, who died in 1891, is more known for his decades-long stint as a senior leader of the Freemasons than for his Confederate military career. The Masons lobbied Congress for the right to erect the statue on NPS land in 1901 — provided that he be depicted in civilian, not military, garb.
But Pike did lead a regiment for the Confederacy during the Civil War. And as the only outdoor statue of a Confederate leader in Washington, D.C., it had been a source of controversy for decades. Even the brief Park Service page on the statue notes that it has 'stirred opposition since it was first planned.'
A long history of demands for its removal
The D.C. Council asked for its removal in 1992. In 2017, Mayor Muriel Bowser struck an agreement with congressional leaders to eventually remove it.
When protesters toppled the statue in 2020 while police officers looked on, Trump — then in his first term — called it 'a disgrace to our Country' on social media and called for their immediate arrests.
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington's non-voting delegate in Congress, called the Park Service move 'odd and indefensible' in a statement Monday. Norton said she would introduce legislation to remove the statue permanently and place it in a museum.
'I've long believed Confederate statues should be placed in museums as historical artifacts," she said, 'not remain in parks and locations that imply honor.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
33 minutes ago
- Reuters
Trump says he will pick a 'temp' replacement for Fed's Kugler in days
WASHINGTON, Aug 6 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would likely pick someone to serve out the remaining months of a soon-to-be vacant position on the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors in the next two to three days, choosing from a shortlist of three. "We started the interviewing process," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, noting that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Vice President JD Vance were all involved. "We have some great candidates. It's probably down to three," he said. Fed Governor Adriana Kugler last week unexpectedly announced she was leaving as of this Friday to return to Georgetown University, where she is a tenured professor. Trump has long sought to oust Fed Chair Jerome Powell or at least replace him when his term ends in May. On Wednesday he indicated the current Fed governor search would focus only on finding someone to serve out the remainder of Kugler's term, which runs through January, rather than identifying a longer-term successor. "We're probably going to go with a temp and then a permanent, I think," Trump said. "So, the temp is going to be named, I'd say, in the next two, three days, and then we're going to go permanent." He repeated earlier comments complimenting the "two Kevins" - former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh and current National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett - without mentioning the third candidate. Trump said again that Bessent was not interested in the job, and said the new governor nominee would have roots in Wall Street. "Essentially, we're all from Wall Street, aren't we?" he said. On Tuesday, Trump said he had narrowed his search for a new Fed chair to four people, one of whom is thought to be current Fed Governor Christopher Waller.
Daily Mail
33 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Trump reveals his bizarre theory on why Howard Stern could be cancelled
President Donald Trump gave his take on why longtime radio show host Howard Stern may be facing cancellation. The Sun reported Wednesday that Stern's SiriusXM show will end after the shock jock's current contract is up. The Daily Mail previously reported that Stern had been in 'very serious negotiations' with SiriusXM about whether he would be able to extend his $500 million contract, which ends at the end of the year. 'Howard Stern is a name I haven't heard - I used to do his show, we used to have fun - but I haven't heard that name in a long time,' Trump told reporters Wednesday in the Oval Office. 'What happened he got terminated?' the president asked. Stern has not yet been terminated, but that didn't stop Trump. 'You know when he went down? You know when he went down?' Trump then said. 'When he endorsed Hillary Clinton, he lost his audience. People said, get me a break. He went down when he endorsed Hillary Clinton.' Clinton was Trump's 2016 opponent. Stern also had Trump's 2024 rival, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, on his show last year. Trump also continued to chime in on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert's cancellation. Colbert and the Late Show will both end in May. 'Colbert has no talent,' Trump said in the Oval on Wednesday. 'I mean, I could take anybody here. I could go outside to the beautiful streets and pick a couple of people that do just as well or better. They get higher ratings than he did. He's got no talent,' the president continued. 'Fallon has no talent. Kimmel has no talent. They're next,' Trump added, name-dropping the other late night hosts. 'They're going to be going, I hear they're going to be going.' This week Trump did decide that he liked one prominent figure in pop culture - actress Sydney Sweeney. On Sunday, the Daily Mail asked Trump for reaction after Sweeney was outed as a registered Republican. Trump loved it. 'She's a registered Republican?' the president said with interest on the tarmac of the Lehigh Valley International Airport outside of Allentown, Pennsylvania. Trump was heading back to Washington after spending the weekend at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf resort. 'You'd be surprised at how many people are Republican. That's one I wouldn't have known, but I'm glad you told me that,' he continued. 'If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic.' Since then, he posted on Truth Social sharing his support for the actress - and the White House's social media account created a meme of Trump, shouting out from the West Wing's rooftop, which he visited Wednesday. 'Have you seen the Sydney Sweeney ad?' the post said.
Reuters
33 minutes ago
- Reuters
Trump says US will charge tariff of about 100% on some semiconductor imports
WASHINGTON, Aug 6 (Reuters) - The United States will impose a tariff of about 100% on semiconductor chips imported from countries not producing in America or planning to do so, President Donald Trump said. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday the new tariff rate would apply to "all chips and semiconductors coming into the United States," but would not apply to companies that had made a commitment to manufacture in the United States. "So 100% tariff on all chips and semiconductors coming into the United States. But if you've made a commitment to build (in the U.S.), or if you're in the process of building (in the U.S.), as many are, there is no tariff," Trump said. It is not clear how many chips will be covered by the tariffs. Congress created a $52.7 billion semiconductor manufacturing and research subsidy program in 2022. The Commerce Department last year under President Joe Biden convinced all five leading-edge semiconductor firms to locate chip factories in the U.S. as part of the program. Last year the department said the U.S. produced about 12% of semiconductor chips globally, down from 40% in 1990. Trump added: "If, for some reason, you say you're building and you don't build, then we go back and we add it up, it accumulates, and we charge you at a later date, you have to pay, and that's a guarantee."
