President Donald J. Trump is taking steps to place a replica of the Christopher Columbus statue that was toppled and thrown into Baltimore’s harbor during his first term near the White House, with Italian American Organizations United agreeing to loan the restored monument to the federal government as part of an effort to honor the explorer ahead of America’s 250th anniversary.

John Pica, president of the Italian American group that owns the statue, confirmed Wednesday that a loan agreement was signed after an intermediary contacted him around Columbus Day last year on behalf of the White House. Pica said the organization unanimously approved sending the restored replica to Washington and expressed cautious optimism that the statue could be installed within two weeks. The replica was rebuilt by artist Will Hemsley using parts of the original statue, which was first unveiled during the Reagan administration. Maryland state Delegate Nino Mangione, a Republican who helped locate a new home for the statue after it was removed from the harbor, also confirmed the plans.

“In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero,” Trump spokesman David Ingle said. “And he will continue to be honored as such by President Trump.”

The move aligns with Trump’s broader effort to reshape how American history is presented as the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Trump has consistently defended Columbus as a foundational figure in Western civilization and has rejected modern efforts to portray the explorer solely through the lens of conquest and oppression. Last April, Trump declared he was “bringing Columbus Day back from the ashes,” and his most recent Columbus Day proclamation ignored Indigenous Peoples Day while praising Columbus’s role in launching European exploration and the modern world.

The original Baltimore statue was vandalized and dumped into the Inner Harbor on July 4, 2020, amid nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd. The Columbus monument was one of many targeted during that period, with activists arguing the explorer symbolized exploitation of native peoples. Pica emphasized that the statue is being loaned, not donated, and said the organization would reclaim it if a future administration sought its removal.

The initiative also reflects Trump’s executive order issued last spring titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” which criticized what the administration described as a coordinated effort to depict the United States as inherently racist, sexist, or irredeemably flawed. Since issuing the order, the administration has directed a comprehensive review of Smithsonian exhibits and moved to enforce compliance across federally funded institutions by pressuring agencies, schools, and universities to roll back diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that conflict with a traditional interpretation of American history.