By Charlie McCarthy | Friday, 15 May 2026 08:00 AM EDT
President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the National Garden of American Heroes would be located in West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., which he described as being transformed into “a World Class Masterpiece with elegant Landscaping and adorned with Beautiful Statues.”
In an early morning Truth Social post while returning from China, Trump stated the project would convert what he called a “totally BARREN field of Prime Waterfront Real Estate” along the Potomac River into a patriotic tribute to America’s most prominent figures.
“The National Garden of American Heroes will feature the MOST BEAUTIFUL collection of statues of AMERICAN HEROES,” Trump wrote, adding that the site would honor “Illustrious Founding Fathers, Military Warriors, Religious Leaders, Civil Rights Champions, World Class Athletes, Artists, Entertainers, and MORE.”
The long-discussed project was first introduced during Trump’s first term amid widespread protests and the toppling of historic statues across the country.
Trump framed the garden as a response to what he described as efforts to erase American history and national pride.
A 2021 executive order expanded the proposal and declared that the garden would stand as “America’s answer to this reckless attempt to erase our heroes, values, and entire way of life.”
The executive order described the monument park as a celebration of “America’s timeless exceptionalism” and stated it would inspire future generations to “believe, once more, in America.”
Congress has set aside roughly $40 million for the project through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as preparations ramp up for America’s 250th birthday celebration in July.
The proposed garden is expected to feature as many as 250 life-size statues representing a broad cross-section of American achievement.
Names included in Trump’s executive order range from George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr. to Harriet Tubman, Jackie Robinson, Kobe Bryant, Elvis Presley, Walt Disney, Whitney Houston, Babe Ruth, and Alex Trebek.
Trump said the attraction would become a destination for Americans and visitors from around the world.
“The people of America (and the World!) will come here to learn and be inspired by the ‘Greats,'” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “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!”
