Nicolai Haugsted
Trump’s latest White House redesign happened while America was asleep.
Visitors to the White House may soon notice something new in the Rose Garden. Without fanfare, press releases or public ceremonies, another life-sized statue has quietly appeared on the presidential grounds as Donald Trump continues expanding a growing collection of historical monuments.
According to The Irish Star, a bronze sculpture of Thomas Jefferson was installed overnight after a tightly controlled operation that kept the artwork out of public view until it was finally placed in its new home.
The Daily Beast reports that the statue arrived at the White House at the end of June before being removed from sight while security officials carried out inspections.
Only after that process was complete was the sculpture installed during a late-night operation.
Created by 77-year-old sculptor George Lundeen, the bronze piece shows Jefferson drafting the Declaration of Independence.
Lundeen is also the artist behind the seven-foot bronze monument depicting Trump’s raised fist after the 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Trump reportedly contacted the sculptor after seeing the finished installation.
“I just wanted to thank you. The sculpture looks really beautiful.”
Filmmaker Steven C. Barber, who helped connect the artist with the White House, previously hinted at the plan.
“He’s going to put it in the frigging Rose Garden!”
Fifth monument added to the Rose Garden
Jefferson’s arrival makes the statue the fifth monument Trump has added to the redesigned Rose Garden.
The sculpture now joins monuments honoring George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton and a Revolutionary War tribute titled Freedom’s Charge.
According to the White House, the artwork was donated by “generous private American patriots.”
Reports later indicated that the Franklin, Hamilton and Freedom’s Charge statues had been loaned by Republican megadonor Harlan Crow.
The additions are part of Trump’s wider effort to restore monuments dedicated to historical figures whose statues became flashpoints during the 2020 racial justice protests.
Trump has previously installed a replica of a Christopher Columbus monument after the original statue in Baltimore was torn down by protesters.
The White House has defended the redesign, describing it as an effort to “beautify and honor our Nation’s Capital” ahead of the United States’ 250th anniversary.
Critics see something very different
Not everyone has welcomed the growing outdoor gallery.
Maxwell Anderson, former president of the Association of Art Museum Directors, argued that the project sends a troubling message.
“President Trump’s embrace of an official classicizing style in art and architecture finds its closest equivalent in authoritarian regimes.”
While supporters view the statues as patriotic tributes, critics argue that both the secrecy surrounding the installations and the artistic direction have turned the White House grounds into another political battleground.
