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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Edward Helmore

As US turns 250, Trump adds fuel to battles over monuments and memory

Donald Trump United States Christopher Columbus Jesse Watters Robert E Lee
a man holds up miniature versions of an arch
Donald Trump holds models of an arch monument during a ballroom dinner in the East Room at the White House on 15 October 2025. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

Disputes provoked by public monuments, flags and symbols are intensifying as the US’s 250th birthday approaches next month, and none are so contentious as those proposed by Donald Trump.

Among the recent projects planned by the US president are a Garden of Heroes, a monumental “Freedom” arch, a huge ballroom and turning the reflecting pool at the Washington monument the color of a Bahamian luxury hotel pool.

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