Trump Re-Erects Monument of Enslaver Removed in 2020

A group of sculptures installed at Freedom Plaza in Washington, DC on May 22, 2026 includes an equestrian monument of Caesar Rodney, a Revolutionary War officer who enslaved at least 200 people. The statue, by artist James Edward Kelly, had been removed by the city of Wilmington, Delaware in June 2020 during Black Lives Matter protests. It joins a bronze statue of Casimir Pulaski; the other 11 sculptures depict Revolutionary War soldiers. The National Park Service announced the site would be closed from December 29, 2025 to May 15, 2026, but the plaza remained cordoned off when Hyperallergic visited. Signs with logos of the Department of the Interior, NPS, and Trump's 'Freedom 250' program were displayed, some stickered with QR codes about pay equity. In October 2020, Trump issued a proclamation honoring Rodney's ride to Philadelphia, blaming 'critical race theorists' and promising to include Rodney in his 'National Garden of American Heroes.' The White House's 'Founders Museum' website omits Rodney's enslavement, stating he 'inherited wealth and responsibility.' Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum celebrated the reinstallation as part of the nation's 250th anniversary. In March, Trump unveiled a repurposed Columbus statue outside the White House. He has also criticized the Smithsonian for focusing on slavery and ordered content reviews; Philadelphia successfully sued to reinstate slavery exhibits.