The statue of former President Theodore Roosevelt standing outside the American Museum of Natural History in New York City will be taken down, and President Donald Trump is not happy about it.
The statue has been outside the museum since 1940, but New York City has now agreed to a proposal by the museum to remove the statue from the entrance. The statue has a Native American man and an African man next to the horse.
In opposition, Trump responded overnight on Twitter, “Ridiculous, don’t do it!”
Ridiculous, don’t do it! https://t.co/VYez8p9AJh
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 22, 2020
In a statement, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) expressed approval to remove the statue.
“The American Museum of Natural History has asked to remove the Theodore Roosevelt statue because it explicitly depicts Black and Indigenous people as subjugated and racially inferior,” the mayor wrote.
He added, “The City supports the Museum’s request. It is the right decision and the right time to remove this problematic statue.”
The museum’s president, Ellen V. Futter, told The New York Times on the decision, “Over the last few weeks, our museum community has been profoundly moved by the ever-widening movement for racial justice that has emerged after the killing of George Floyd.”
“We have watched as the attention of the world and the country has increasingly turned to statues as powerful and hurtful symbols of systemic racism.”
The decision, as Futter explained, is not about the statue itself but the “hierarchical composition.”
In showing support for the removal of the statue, the former president’s great-grandson, Theodore Roosevelt IV, said, “The world does not need statues, relics of another age, that reflect neither the values of the person they intend to honor nor the values of equality and justice.”
“The composition of the Equestrian Statue does not reflect Theodore Roosevelt’s legacy. It is time to move the statue and move forward.”
This comes as protests have erupted across the U.S. over the past four weeks for justice for George Floyd and against racism. Amid some of the protests, statues of people with racist legacies have been toppled.
It is unclear when the removal of the Roosevelt statue will occur and where it will be taken.