2026年3月23日 / 美国东部时间上午11:56 / 美联社
一尊克里斯托弗·哥伦布雕像被安放在毗邻白宫的艾森豪威尔行政办公楼（Eisenhower Executive Office Building） grounds上——这是特朗普政府纪念这位探险家的最新举措，其遗产近年来遭到的批评日益增多。
该雕像是2020年特朗普第一任期内，全美抗议系统性种族主义期间被抗议者投入巴尔的摩港口的那座雕像的复制品。
“在白宫，克里斯托弗·哥伦布是英雄，特朗普总统将确保他在未来几代人中受到这样的尊崇。”白宫在X平台（原推特）上发布了这条消息。
![图片] 2026年3月22日周日，一尊克里斯托弗·哥伦布雕像被放置在华盛顿白宫旁的艾森豪威尔行政办公楼前。威尔·亨斯利（Will Hemsley）/ 美联社
特朗普总统认可对哥伦布的传统看法，认为他1492年的航行是欧洲人进入美洲以及现代经济和政治秩序发展的开端。但近年来，哥伦布也被公认为西欧征服新大陆、其资源和原住民的主要代表。
“我们很高兴这座雕像找到了一个可以和平展示并受到保护的地方。”马里兰州说客、意大利裔美国人联合组织（Italian American Organizations United）主席约翰·皮卡（John Pica）表示，该组织拥有这座雕像并同意将其借给联邦政府，放置在白宫或其附近。
这座主要由大理石制成的雕像由马里兰州东岸森特维尔（Centreville）的雕塑家威尔·亨斯利创作。
原雕像于2020年7月4日被抗议者推倒，并在乔治·弗洛伊德（George Floyd）被警察杀害引发民愤后被投入巴尔的摩内港。当时有许多哥伦布雕像在同期遭到破坏，抗议者称这位意大利探险家应对美洲原住民的种族灭绝和剥削负责。
![图片] 雕塑家威尔·亨斯利提供的照片显示，2026年3月22日，这座克里斯托弗·哥伦布雕像在华盛顿白宫前的艾森豪威尔行政办公楼前。威尔·亨斯利 / 美联社
近年来，一些人、机构和政府实体将哥伦比亚日（Columbus Day）改为认可原住民日（Indigenous Peoples Day）。2021年，乔·拜登总统成为首位通过公告纪念原住民日的美国总统。
特朗普将对哥伦布态度的转变斥为“左翼纵火犯歪曲历史、扭曲美国人集体记忆”的例子。“我要让哥伦布日从灰烬中重生。”他去年4月宣称。呼应其2024年竞选言论，他抱怨道：“民主党人想尽一切办法摧毁克里斯托弗·哥伦布、他的声誉以及所有热爱他的意大利人。”
Christopher Columbus statue Trump added near White House is replica of one downed by protesters
March 23, 2026 / 11:56 AM EDT / AP
A statue of Christopher Columbus has been placed on the grounds of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House — the latest effort by the Trump administration to honor the explorer whose legacy has drawn increasing criticism in recent years.
The statue is a replica of one that was tossed into Baltimore’s harbor in 2020 during Mr. Trump’s first term at a time of nationwide protests against institutional racism.
“In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero, and President Trump will ensure he’s honored as such for generations to come,” the White House posted on X.
A statue of Christopher Columbus is lowered into place at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, next to the White House, on Sunday, March 22, 2026. Will Hemsley / AP
President Trump endorses a traditional view of Columbus which sees his 1492 voyage as the beginning of a European presence in the Americas and the development of the modern economic and political order. But in recent years, Columbus also has been recognized as a primary example of Western Europe’s conquest of the New World, its resources and native people.
“We are delighted the statue has found a place where it can peacefully shine and be protected,” said John Pica, a Maryland lobbyist and president of the Italian American Organizations United, which owns the statue and agreed to loan it to the federal government for placement at or near the White House.
The statue, made mostly of marble, was created by Will Hemsley, a sculptor based in Centreville on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
The original statue was toppled by protesters on July 4, 2020, and thrown into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor after anger boiled over following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police. It was one of many statues of Columbus that were vandalized around the same time, with protesters saying the Italian explorer was responsible for the genocide and exploitation of native peoples in the Americas.
This photo provided by sculptor Will Hemsley shows the statue of Christopher Columbus standing in front of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington on March 22, 2026. Will Hemsley / AP
In recent years, some people, institutions and government entities have displaced Columbus Day with recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day. President Joe Biden in 2021 became the first U.S. president to mark Indigenous Peoples Day with a proclamation.
Mr. Trump dismisses the shift on Columbus as an example of “left-wing arsonists” bending history and twisting Americans’ collective memory. “I’m bringing Columbus Day back from the ashes,” he declared last April. Echoing his 2024 campaign rhetoric, he complained that “Democrats did everything possible to destroy Christopher Columbus, his reputation, and all of the Italians that love him so much.”
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