Trump’s White House Goes Full Tony Soprano While Defending Statue of ‘Hero’ Christopher Columbus
Sean James
Wed, February 4, 2026
White House spokesman Davis Ingle quoted Tony Soprano verbatim while defending President Trump's plan to install a Christopher Columbus statue at the White House.
Somebody at the White House is a Sopranos fan.
Spokesman Davis Ingle quoted Tony Soprano verbatim while defending President Donald Trump’s plan to install a statue of Christopher Columbus at the White House on Wednesday.
“In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero,” Ingle told The Washington Post on Wednesday. “And he will continue to be honored as such by President Trump.”
If that line sounds familiar, it’s because that’s what Soprano told his son AJ after he criticized Columbus in a 2002 episode.
“Like it took guts to murder people and put them in chains,” AJ scoffed about Columbus.
“He discovered America is what he did!” a livid Tony replied. “He was a brave Italian explorer, and in this house, Christopher Columbus is a hero! End of story.”
That scene has morphed into a long-running meme on the internet — and a whole bunch of X users referenced it while reacting to the quote from Ingle. You can see a few of those below:
Wed, February 4, 2026
White House spokesman Davis Ingle quoted Tony Soprano verbatim while defending President Trump's plan to install a Christopher Columbus statue at the White House.
Somebody at the White House is a Sopranos fan.
Spokesman Davis Ingle quoted Tony Soprano verbatim while defending President Donald Trump’s plan to install a statue of Christopher Columbus at the White House on Wednesday.
“In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero,” Ingle told The Washington Post on Wednesday. “And he will continue to be honored as such by President Trump.”
If that line sounds familiar, it’s because that’s what Soprano told his son AJ after he criticized Columbus in a 2002 episode.
“Like it took guts to murder people and put them in chains,” AJ scoffed about Columbus.
“He discovered America is what he did!” a livid Tony replied. “He was a brave Italian explorer, and in this house, Christopher Columbus is a hero! End of story.”
That scene has morphed into a long-running meme on the internet — and a whole bunch of X users referenced it while reacting to the quote from Ingle. You can see a few of those below:
You get the idea.
The Washington Post reported the statue will be a revamped version of a statue President Ronald Reagan had installed in Baltimore, Maryland. That statue was later chucked into the harbor during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and riots.
A businessman named Bill Martin who helped recover the statue and fix it up told WaPo it’ll be sent to the White House in a few weeks.
Many liberals have criticized Columbus over the last few decades for being, in their view, a genocidal conqueror. And some have taken to celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day as a counter to Columbus Day each October.
Trump has made it clear he is a big Columbus fan, on the other hand. He signed a proclamation last fall to honor Columbus Day on the second Monday of October each year, declaring “We’re back, Italians! We love the Italians!”
The Washington Post reported the statue will be a revamped version of a statue President Ronald Reagan had installed in Baltimore, Maryland. That statue was later chucked into the harbor during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and riots.
A businessman named Bill Martin who helped recover the statue and fix it up told WaPo it’ll be sent to the White House in a few weeks.
Many liberals have criticized Columbus over the last few decades for being, in their view, a genocidal conqueror. And some have taken to celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day as a counter to Columbus Day each October.
Trump has made it clear he is a big Columbus fan, on the other hand. He signed a proclamation last fall to honor Columbus Day on the second Monday of October each year, declaring “We’re back, Italians! We love the Italians!”
Travis Gettys
February 4, 2026
RAW STORY
President Donald Trump intends to erect a statue of Christopher Columbus on White House grounds.
Three sources with knowledge of his plans told the Washington Post that the 79-year-old president plans to install a reconstructed statue of the controversial explorer that was pulled down in summer 2020 and dumped into Baltimore's harbor after a group of Italian American businessmen and politicians obtained the remnants and had it rebuilt.
“In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle told the Post in a statement but declined to comment on the plans. “And he will continue to be honored as such by President Trump.”
Businessman Bill Martin helped recover the remnants of the sculpture, which was unveiled by then-President Ronald Reagan in 1984 and taken down by Black Lives Matter protesters, and organized a campaign to rebuild it.
“It’s not about Columbus ‘discovering America,'" said Martin, who said he and his allies spent more than $100,000 on the recovery and restoration. "It’s about the Italian immigrants who came here and looked to Columbus as a hero,” Martin said.
Trump complained frequently during his first term about the destruction of Columbus statues over his involvement in genocide and enslavement of indigenous people he encountered in the Americas, and administration officials asked to obtain the statue after they learned of efforts to restore it.
“It is such an honor for the Italian American community,” said Nino Mangione, a Republican member of the Maryland House of Delegates who was involved in the recovery effort. “This proves that gangs, thugs, and people of that ilk don’t control things by mob rule. … in America the people rule and our voices are heard.”
President Donald Trump intends to erect a statue of Christopher Columbus on White House grounds.
Three sources with knowledge of his plans told the Washington Post that the 79-year-old president plans to install a reconstructed statue of the controversial explorer that was pulled down in summer 2020 and dumped into Baltimore's harbor after a group of Italian American businessmen and politicians obtained the remnants and had it rebuilt.
“In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle told the Post in a statement but declined to comment on the plans. “And he will continue to be honored as such by President Trump.”
Businessman Bill Martin helped recover the remnants of the sculpture, which was unveiled by then-President Ronald Reagan in 1984 and taken down by Black Lives Matter protesters, and organized a campaign to rebuild it.
“It’s not about Columbus ‘discovering America,'" said Martin, who said he and his allies spent more than $100,000 on the recovery and restoration. "It’s about the Italian immigrants who came here and looked to Columbus as a hero,” Martin said.
Trump complained frequently during his first term about the destruction of Columbus statues over his involvement in genocide and enslavement of indigenous people he encountered in the Americas, and administration officials asked to obtain the statue after they learned of efforts to restore it.
“It is such an honor for the Italian American community,” said Nino Mangione, a Republican member of the Maryland House of Delegates who was involved in the recovery effort. “This proves that gangs, thugs, and people of that ilk don’t control things by mob rule. … in America the people rule and our voices are heard.”
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