Trump Should Renew His Efforts to Defend America’s Heritage with a New Monument by Sabin Howard

Donald Trump faces significant decisions on Day 1. These aren’t just any decisions; they are monumental.

One key choice will be to reaffirm America’s heritage.

This heritage has been under siege from our elite during his first term.

In the context of vandalized statues, damaged monuments, altered educational curriculums, social media censorship, and the hysteria surrounding the 1619 Project, President Trump took action through a series of executive orders aimed at countering this chaos, promoting patriotism, and envisioning a nation that recounts its true story of exceptionalism through enduring symbols.

These directives included the establishment of a Presidential 1776 Advisory Commission, enhancing federal measures to combat monument desecration, and creating a National Garden of American Heroes — all of which incited ire from the intolerant political left.

Canceling Trump’s orders became a political and ideological focal point for his successor.

In his initial hours in the Oval Office — indeed, with his very first executive order — President Biden expressed his disdain for the 1776 Commission, effectively dismantling it.

Shortly thereafter, he annulled Trump’s other initiatives focused on patriotism.

Although they have been erased from the books, they should not be forgotten. Like Trump, may they return.

Trump’s initiatives, which emphasized American greatness and called for tangible expressions of the nation’s heritage, were in essence endorsed during the recent elections.

Voters clearly voiced their discontent with the wokeness imposed on them by Biden and the Democratic Party.

A reckoning may arrive on January 20: a decisive MAGA rebuke to Biden’s unpatriotic signals.

On Day 1, as #47, Trump should restore the actions revoked by Biden to realign America with its foundational principles.

He should revise and expand these initiatives as needed (his Advisory Commission issued a powerful “1776 Report”), making them monumental in more ways than one.

Trump’s stirring 2020 Fourth of July address at Mount Rushmore showcased him as a true advocate of impactful public art.

His National Garden executive order was described as “America’s response to this reckless attempt to erase our heroes, values, and entire way of life” (and a de facto rebuttal to capricious cultural elites who spend millions on absurd art like duct-taped bananas). Its ambitious scope called for hundreds of statues honoring “a roll call of heroes who deserve acknowledgement and lasting tribute.”

This project deserves revival — and significant expansion.

Just a short distance from the White House stands Trump’s inspiration for what could become a new and breathtaking American monument: A Soldier’s Journey, the recently unveiled World War I memorial.

The visionary artist, Sabin Howard, who designed and sculpted this strikingly epic, beautiful, and massive memorial, has demonstrated his ability to create great American monuments that pay homage to both the sacrifices of the nation’s warriors and its destiny.

After decades of uninspired and unattractive art, this exceptional and forward-thinking artist — proudly celebrating America and the promise of freedom — has crafted a monumental piece that embodies emotive beauty, a striking 60-foot-long, 10-foot-high bronze tapestry comprising 38 figures, produced over nearly a decade, reminiscent of the great works of Michelangelo and Da Vinci.

It represents art, as Howard asserts, for “We the People.”

His work has spurred the concept for another grand monument of significant scale and meaning: a Grand Freedom Arch — which he refers to as “an American Exceptionalism Monument” — portraying the “hero’s journey” of America.

Mirroring the dynamic action and interwoven scenes of his powerful World War I bronze work, Howard imagines a masterpiece that encompasses centuries, commencing in 1776, traversing the Revolution — highlighting the raising of the Liberty Bell — the Civil War, emancipation and healing, industrialization, both world wars, the Great Depression, the civil rights movement, leading to a New Frontier.

This is not an endpoint, but rather a journey towards a destiny that must be realized.

These themes resonate with Trump’s vision, and more importantly, they embody America’s narrative.

With its colossal scale, Howard’s Grand Freedom Arch would elevate both the observer and the nation.

Through its historical tableau, it would challenge victimhood while celebrating autonomy and self-determination, the divine and liberty, and the essential nature of free will.

Trump and Howard — true Monuments Men — present an ideal partnership to narrate America’s compelling saga.

This journey can commence on Day 1.

Jack Fowler is a host of the Victor Davis Hanson Show