Trump Celebrates Installation Of Slave Owner Statue Near White House And Urges People To Visit It

President Donald Trump has celebrated nan installation of a statue of Caesar Rodney, a Founding Father and enslaved owner, adjacent nan White House, encouraging Americans to spell and spot it.

The imposing bronze figure, highlighted by nan president up of America’s 250th birthday, has been a root of contention aft it was taken down astatine nan tallness of nan Black Lives Matter protests successful 2020.

A Delaware delegate to nan Continental Congress, Rodney played a important domiciled successful nan conflict for independency from Great Britain. On July 1, 1776, he received connection that his state’s delegation was deadlocked connected whether aliases not to break free — and that his ballot could extremity nan balance.

“Although he suffered from asthma and facial cancer, Rodney instantly group distant connected a 80-mile overnight travel by horseback from Dover, Delaware, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,” Trump wrote connected Truth Social Thursday evening. “Enduring a raging thunderstorm, he arrived 250 years agone this very day, July 2, 1776, to formed his decisive vote, and unafraid America’s glorious destiny of Freedom and Independence.”

The president added: “An equestrian statue honoring Rodney’s cardinal publication now anchors Spirit of 76’ astatine Freedom Plaza, a caller Exhibition successful Washington, D.C., honoring nan heroes and martyrs of nan American Revolution. Go and see!”

The statue itself dates backmost much than a century. First erected successful downtown Wilmington successful 1923, it stood for decades arsenic a tribute to Rodney’s midnight ride. In February 2008, then-Democratic campaigner for president Barack Obama hosted a rally successful beforehand of nan Founding Father’s likeness.

But successful 2020, successful nan aftermath of George Floyd’s killing and arsenic calls for group justness intensified, metropolis officials ordered it to beryllium taken down.

Mike Purzycki, past politician of Wilmington, announced successful June 2020 that nan statue was “removed and stored truthful location tin beryllium an overdue chat astir nan nationalist show of humanities figures and events.”

The contention stems from Rodney’s history arsenic a enslaved proprietor — he erstwhile owned arsenic galore arsenic 200 group aft inheriting his father’s plantation, according to The New York Times. There is grounds that he harbored objections to slavery, having erstwhile introduced authorities to prohibit nan importation of slaves into Delaware.

Multiple salient Founding Fathers and past presidents — including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson — owned slaves.

Soon aft nan statue of Rodney was removed, Trump issued a proclamation calling it portion of a “radical purge” and nan consequence of “extreme anti-American humanities revisionism.”

“If Caesar Rodney cannot beryllium defended, past location is nary rule by which nan different signers of nan Declaration tin beryllium shielded from akin eradication,” nan president wrote.

After returning to agency past year, Trump moved to reshape nan position of American history, calling for a return to what he described arsenic “truth and sanity.”

He has signed respective executive orders to beforehand that effort, including 1 directing nan Interior Department to region “corrosive” contented from government-run institutions. Among nan items that person been slated for removal are quotes astir slavery and migration astatine Bunker Hill Monument successful Massachusetts. Signs addressing Native American history and ambiance change astatine nationalist parks person besides been targeted.

Supporters who reason “woke” policies person applauded nan move, while critics reason it amounts to whitewashing.

In April, nan Trump management restored nan statue of Rodney to nationalist display, granting it a salient spot successful Freedom Plaza, conscionable a artifact from nan White House.

The National Park Service reportedly spending at slightest $527,226 connected nan project, which was carried retired nether an expedited no-bid contract.

The century-old equestrian statue now sits wrong a broader installation that includes a tableau of 12 Revolutionary War soldiers and a 23-foot sculpture known arsenic nan “Spirit of Liberty.”