Former President Joe Biden killed the National Garden of American Heroes on his first day in office.
President Donald Trump just announced that he’s building it anyway.
Flying home from his Beijing summit with President Xi Jinping on Friday, Trump posted to Truth Social that the National Garden of American Heroes will be built at West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., one of the most prime pieces of real estate in the nation’s capital.
“I am proud to announce the site of the NATIONAL GARDEN OF AMERICAN HEROES,” Trump wrote. “This magnificent exhibition of statues will be located in West Potomac Park, which we are transforming into one of the World’s most beautiful public spaces. Right now, it is a totally BARREN field of Prime Waterfront Real Estate along our Mighty Potomac River.”
“When finished, West Potomac Park will be a World Class Masterpiece with elegant Landscaping, and adorned with Beautiful Statues, and be yet another one of my great projects to make Washington, D.C., the Safest and Most Beautiful Capital in the World,” he wrote.
The chosen site sits between the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial and encompasses the Tidal Basin, the Jefferson Memorial, the MLK Jr. Memorial, and the FDR Memorial. It is the most visited stretch of the National Mall.
Trump first signed an executive order creating the National Garden of American Heroes in July 2020, directing that a permanent outdoor sculpture park honoring great Americans be built. Biden revoked it by executive order on his very first day in office in January 2021.
Trump wins in the end.
The garden will feature 250 life-size statues of American figures spanning every corner of the country’s history — Founding Fathers including George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, civil rights champions including Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, and Martin Luther King Jr., athletes including Kobe Bryant, Muhammad Ali, and Jackie Robinson, and cultural figures including Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday, and Babe Ruth. Ruth Bader Ginsburg is on the list. So is Amelia Earhart, Sally Ride, Edgar Allan Poe, and Christopher Columbus.
“The people of America (and the World!) will come here to learn and be inspired by the ‘Greats,'” Trump wrote. “The National Garden of American Heroes is one more project we are undertaking to honor the 250th Birthday of the Greatest Nation on Earth, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!”
The garden is unlikely to be completed in time for America’s 250th anniversary celebration this July… but its site has been chosen, its funding is in place, and its statues are being planned.
Biden had five years to build a legacy on that waterfront. He left it barren.
Trump is filling it with American heroes.
Another HISTORIC project from @POTUS! 🇺🇸
As America approaches its 250th birthday, @POTUS is continuing to honor our nation’s legacy with the National Garden of American Heroes, a landmark in Washington, D.C. that will be enjoyed for generations to come. pic.twitter.com/nCcKMNMD7M
— Secretary Doug Burgum (@SecretaryBurgum) May 15, 2026