(CNSNews.com) - President Trump issued an executive order on Friday to establish a “National Garden of American Heroes” as well as the establishment of an “Interagency Task Force for Building and Rebuilding monuments to American Heroes.”
The executive order calls for the National Garden to be open to the public prior to the 250th anniversary of the proclamation of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026. The new task force has within 60 days to propose options for the creation of the National Garden, including potential locations for the site.
Trump made the announcement during a speech at Mount Rushmore on Friday.
“Americans must never lose sight of this miraculous story. We should never lose sight of it. Nobody has ever done it like we have done it,” Trump said.
“So today, under the authority vested in me as president of the United States, I am announcing the creation of a new monument to the giants of our past. I am signing an executive order to establish the National Guard of American heroes, a vast outdoor park that will feature the statues of the greatest Americans to ever live,” he said.
The order lists statues that should be included in the National Garden. The list includes:
• John Adams
• Susan B. Anthony
• Clara Barton
• Daniel Boone
• Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
• Henry Clay
• Davy Crockett
• Frederick Douglass
• Amelia Earhart
• Benjamin Franklin
• Billy Graham
• Alexander Hamilton
• Thomas Jefferson
• Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Abraham Lincoln
• Douglas MacArthur
• Dolley Madison
• James Madison
• Christa McAuliffe
• Audie Murphy
• George S. Patton, Jr
.• Ronald Reagan
• Jackie Robinson
• Betsy Ross
• Antonin Scalia
• Harriet Beecher Stowe
• Harriet Tubman
• Booker T. Washington
• George Washington
• Orville and Wilbur Wright
Within the past month, numerous statues have been vandalized and torn down, such as statues of George Washington, Frederick Douglass, Ulysses S. Grant, Christopher Columbus, abolitionists, and others.
During his speech, Trump opposed those attempting to destroy history.
“Here tonight before the eyes of our forefathers, Americans declare again, as we did 244 years ago, that we will not be tyrannized. We will not be demeaned, and we will not be intimidated by bad, evil people. It will not happen.”
The decision by the Trump administration to create a National Garden of Statues for American Heroes comes during national controversy around statues and monuments.
Gov. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) was equally harsh in her condemnation of the destruction of monuments.
“Across America these last several weeks, we have been witnessing a very troubling situation unfold. In real-time, we are watching an organized, coordinated campaign to remove and eliminate all references to our nation’s founding and many other points in our history,” Noem said.