Trump calls on Smithsonian to install George Washington statues and exhibit

President Donald Trump posted on social media on September 11, 2026, calling for the Smithsonian Institution to install an 11-foot George Washington statue in the National Museum of American History's Flag Hall by Constitution Day (September 17), and later a 30-foot "Washington Colossus" to replace the existing "Infinity" sculpture installed in 1967. He also requested a special exhibition on Washington running through February 2032 to mark the 300th anniversary of Washington's birth. The Smithsonian operates independently as a public-private partnership, and it is unclear whether Trump has authority to order the changes.