President Trump’s decree condemns attempts to “undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by presenting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light.”
Newsroom (01/04/2025 19:26, Gaudium Press) Last Thursday (27/3), Donald Trump signed an executive order entitled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History”, which orders, for example, the restoration of monuments and statues removed since 2020, especially those affected during racially motivated protests.
The measure also instructs a review of the content of institutions such as the Smithsonian Institute – a public body that manages 21 museums and is one of the most prestigious spaces for exhibiting art and national history – with the aim of eliminating what the White House has described as “divisive” or “anti-American” ideologies. The text calls for the recovery of a “faithful and patriotic” narrative of national history and is a new element in the deconstruction of “woke” ideology.
Trump’s vice president, JD Vance, a member of the body’s board, will be able to review and ban initiatives that “degrade shared American values” or “divide Americans on the basis of race”.
Trump’s decree also gives the Interior Department responsibility for restoring federal parks, monuments and memorials that have been “removed or altered in recent years to perpetuate a false revision of history” or “inappropriately minimize the value of certain historical events or figures”.
One of the most emblematic cases is that of the statues of Christopher Columbus, several of which have been torn down or vandalized in cities such as Baltimore, Boston or Saint Paul. The Trump administration had already funded the reconstruction of some of these statues in 2020, such as the one in Baltimore, and is now reinforcing this policy with federal backing.
It is important to note that the implementation of these restorations will depend on the assessments and actions of the corresponding federal agencies and may be subject to debates and decisions at state and local level.
From a socio-religious perspective, the restoration of monuments like Columbus is an affirmation of Christian values and the founding of the United States.
Compiled by Teresa Joseph
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