Trump’s Statue garden Plan Draws fire Over Sacred Native Land

​ Updated June 06, 2025

A $40 million provision in the House budget bill​ aims to fund former President Donald trump’s vision⁤ for a National Garden of American Heroes, a ⁢vast collection of‌ statues. However, the proposed location is stirring controversy: South Dakota’s Black Hills, ​land ⁢sacred to Native American tribes.

The House-approved budget reconciliation bill includes funds for the garden, which would feature statues of figures from Andrew Jackson to Harriet Tubman. Trump initially announced ⁤the‍ statue garden plan on July 4,2020,at Mount Rushmore,as a response to ⁤protests against confederate monuments.

While no official site has been⁢ selected,the Black Hills ‌are a leading candidate. The land,near Mount Rushmore,is offered ⁢by a South Dakota mining family. however, the Black Hills hold deep spiritual significance for Indigenous peoples, and ownership remains disputed following treaty violations.

Taylor Gunhammer, an organizer with the NDN Collective⁣ and a citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation, voiced strong opposition. “I’m quite ‌sure that Harriet Tubman would not be pleased⁢ that people trying to build the ‍statue of her on stolen Lakota land have apparently learned nothing from her,” Gunhammer said.

“I’m quite sure‍ that Harriet Tubman would⁣ not be pleased.”

Controversial Figures and Funding Shifts

Trump’s​ initial list of potential figures‌ for the garden included​ controversial choices⁤ such as Andrew Jackson, who signed the Indian Removal act,⁤ and unexpected names like “jeopardy” host Alex​ Trebek. Some, like Christopher Columbus, never held U.S. ⁤citizenship.

After President Joe Biden initially canceled the ⁢project,Trump revived it following his second inauguration. The National Endowment for the‌ Humanities is tasked​ with commissioning artists to create “classical” statues in customary materials, avoiding abstract or modernist ⁢styles.

skepticism surrounds the project’s ‌feasibility, with questions about whether the garden can‍ be completed by July 4, 2026, the nation’s 250th birthday. the Interior Department declined ⁣to comment‍ on the site selection process,⁣ stating that the garden ⁤remains⁢ in the “planning and discussion phase,” according to spokesperson J. Elizabeth Peace.

South Dakota Gov.Larry Rhoden highlighted the Black hills as a potential location,noting the‍ Lien family’s offer⁤ of land near ⁤Mount Rushmore. The Lien family has⁤ long supported the idea.

Former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, now Homeland ⁢Security secretary, championed the project. South Dakota Sen. John Thune is ‍the Senate majority leader, and former North Dakota Gov.⁣ Doug Burgum serves‌ as⁢ interior secretary, responsible for site selection.

U.S.Rep.Dusty Johnson of South Dakota said the Black Hills have a strong chance. “We’re going to have a real chance to win,” Johnson said, noting his conversations with the Trump governance.

Native⁣ projects at risk

The House bill allocates‍ funds for the statue garden within a larger reconciliation bill that could remove 11 ⁣million people from health insurance, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Senate approval is ⁤required for the ⁤spending provision.

The bill ‌does not specify whether the money should be spent on the site or ‍the ⁤statues. Funds from canceled National Endowment for the Humanities grants could be redirected to the statues,‍ according to reports.

Some of the canceled grants supported Native cultural projects in South Dakota, including $60,000 for⁣ an anthology of Lakota and​ Dakota literature and $205,000 for an Oglala language archiving project.