Background to the news

Donald Trump announced that the site for his planned National Garden of American Heroes, honoring some of the most iconic figures in American culture and history, will be built in Washington, D.C.’s West Potomac Park.

“I am proud to announce the site of the NATIONAL GARDEN OF AMERICAN HEROES,” the president, 79, wrote in a Truth Social post on Friday, May 15. “This magnificent exhibition of statues will be located in West Potomac Park, which we are transforming into one of the World’s most beautiful public spaces.”

Incident Detail

>>>>>>>>>>Trump described the national park, which includes the shore along the Tidal Basin, an inlet of the Potomac River, as a “totally BARREN field of Prime Waterfront Real Estate.”

While the park sits adjacent to the National Mall and holds landmarks, such as the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the area is mostly comprised of sports fields.

The president, who recently departed China on Friday afternoon local time following discussions with President Xi Jinping in Beijing, continued, “When finished, West Potomac Park will be a World Class Masterpiece with elegant Landscaping, and adorned with Beautiful Statues, and be yet another one of my great projects to make Washington, D.C., the Safest and Most Beautiful Capital in the World.”

Among those Trump is planning to include are the Founding Fathers, civil rights activists, religious leaders, artists and entertainers. A list previously circulated by his administration includes names as varied as Muhammad Ali, Neil Armstrong, Rosa Parks, Walt Disney, Elvis Presley and Helen Keller.

“The people of America (and the World!) will come here to learn and be inspired by the ‘Greats’,” he finished. “The National Garden of American Heroes is one more project we are undertaking to honor the 250th Birthday of the Greatest Nation on Earth, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!”

The project has been something Trump has hoped to complete since his first term in office. The New York Times reported earlier this month that his vision for the national garden was growing larger than his initial plans.

According to the outlet, the cost of the statues alone could exceed the $40 million Congress approved for the project. The latest drawings show a “Heroes Walk” connecting themed zones into which the honorees are categorized. There would also be gardens, reflecting pools and plazas around the statues.

Though the president originally wanted the project completed by the Fourth of July, as part of the 250th anniversary celebrations, it’s now hoped that a few of the statues will be ready for the day. The project as a whole is expected to be completed by the end of Trump’s term, the Times reported.

The garden is one of a number of renovation projects he’s planned around the White House and Washington area. Since the beginning of his second term, Trump has shared plans to construct a 250-foot “Triumphal Arch” between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial, announced a reimagined Kennedy Center bearing his own name, outlined plans to paint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool “American flag blue” and renovate the East Wing of the White House, including adding a ballroom.