President Donald Trump called on the Smithsonian Institution late Friday to create a five-year exhibition honoring George Washington and install two new statues of the nation’s first president at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Trump said the exhibition should begin immediately and continue through Feb. 22, 2032, the 300th anniversary of Washington’s birth. He also called for an 11-foot statue of Washington, recently featured at the Freedom 250 IndyCar race, to be installed in the museum’s Flag Hall by Constitution Day on Sept. 17.

Truth Social
Credit: Truth Social

Trump separately proposed replacing the museum’s existing “Infinity” sculpture with a 30-foot statue of Washington. The “Infinity” sculpture, created by New York artist José de Rivera, was commissioned by the federal government and installed outside the museum in 1967.

“He is easily America’s Greatest Hero. Without him, our Country and our Freedoms wouldn’t exist,” Trump wrote on Truth Social while traveling in Ireland.

The president also criticized the museum for what he said was a lack of attention to Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River during the Revolutionary War. Trump called for the recently ended Center for Restorative History to be replaced with a “Center for American Heroes.”

Trump’s proposal comes amid an ongoing dispute between his administration and the Smithsonian over how American history is presented in its museums. His administration has criticized what it describes as an excessive emphasis on oppression and has pushed the institution to place greater emphasis on American achievements and historical figures.

It remains unclear whether Trump can unilaterally order the Smithsonian to make the changes. The Smithsonian is governed by a Board of Regents that includes the vice president, the chief justice, members of Congress from both parties, and citizen members.

The Smithsonian has also recently faced a leadership change. Secretary Lonnie Bunch announced Tuesday that he will retire at the end of the year after leading the institution since 2019.

Trump has made monuments and statues part of his broader effort to shape how American history is commemorated. He has proposed a Potomac River park featuring statues of 250 prominent Americans and has also placed a statue of Washington on the remodeled White House Rose Garden patio.