Donald Trump opposes removal of Theodore Roosevelt's statue in NYC

US President Donald Trump expressed his opposition to the removal of Theodore Roosevelt’s statue outside New York City's Museum of Natural History. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on June 21 that the bronze statue depicting former US President on horseback with a Native American man and an African man standing next to the horse.

NYC Mayor had said in a statement that the statue explicitly depicts Black and Indigenous people as subjugated and racially inferior and the American Museum of Natural History has asked to remove it. He added that the city supports the Museum’s request, adding that it is the right decision and the right time to remove the “problematic statue”.

Taking to Twitter, Trump said that it is a “ridiculous” decision and asked not to remove the statue. 

Earlier at a rally in Tulsa, Trump lashed out at “unhinged left-wing” mob for allegedly trying to vandalise the history, desecrate monuments, tear down the statues. He claimed that the protesters want to punish, cancel and persecute anyone who does not conform to their demands for absolute and total control.

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Anger over racist symbols

Statues of slave traders, imperialists, and explorers have been facing the angst of protesters across the world demonstrating against racial discrimination in the wake of George Floyd’s death. Protesters around the globe have made it clear that they won’t tolerate the glorification of historic figures with murky past, be it Italian explorer Christopher Columbus or former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

As Black Lives Matter protests rage across the country, strong objection over the symbols and statues of Confederate leaders and soldiers have also been raised. In the wake of protests against racial discrimination, the US Marine Corps released guidance on June 6 on the removal of public displays of the Confederate battle flag.

"The Marine Corps shall remove the Confederate battle flag from all installation public spaces and work areas in order to support our core values, ensure unit cohesion and security, and preserve good order and discipline," the order said.

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