SerpApi.Org
Donald Trump has pulled off a stealthy White House makeover, quietly sneaking a life-sized statue of Thomas Jefferson onto the grounds under the cover of darkness.
It’s kind of like moving out in the middle of the night, but in the reverse; Trump keeps adding life-size statues, including one of himself, to the White House grounds. A statue of the country’s third president was secretly erected in the newly revamped Rose Garden without a single public announcement, insiders revealed.
The clandestine installation capped off a top-secret journey for the bronze artwork. It arrived at the executive mansion at the end of June, where it was immediately whisked away into hiding by security experts for a rigorous screening before making its midnight debut, according to The Daily Beast. It comes as Donald Trump shockingly posted an intimate piece of information about JD Vance.
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The piece of art — which depicts Jefferson drafting the Declaration of Independence — is the work of 77-year-old sculptor George Lundeen.
Lundeen is the very same artist behind the iconic 7-foot, 700-pound bronze monument capturing Trump’s defiant "fight fight fight" raised fist after the 2024 Butler, Pennsylvania assassination attempt.
Trump was reportedly thrilled with the midnight operation, personally reaching out to the artist with a congratulatory message: “I just wanted to thank you. The sculpture looks really beautiful.”
Filmmaker Steven C. Barber, who acted as a high-stakes liaison between the sculptor and the White House, couldn't contain his excitement about the secret plot, previously letting slip: “He’s going to put it in the frigging Rose Garden!”
The stealthy arrival of Jefferson is just the latest piece in Trump's rapidly growing, covert art collection. The statue marks the fifth monument the president has quietly added to his hardscaped Rose Garden, which recently saw its central grass lawn replaced by a stone patio.
Trump is building a collection of life-size statues
Jefferson now stands alongside George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and a Revolutionary War tribute titled “Freedom’s Charge.”
While the White House remained tight-lipped — only admitting the art came from “generous private American patriots” — it emerged that the Franklin, Hamilton, and "Freedom's Charge" statues were quietly loaned by GOP megadonor Harlan Crow.
The late-night additions are part of a deliberate, calculated push by Trump to resurrect historical figures whose monuments became chaotic flashpoints during the 2020 racial justice protests.
Trump has previously installed a replica of a Christopher Columbus statue on the grounds after the original was torn down by protestors in Baltimore.
The White House has staunchly defended the secret redesign, framing the nocturnal additions as a patriotic effort to "beautify and honor our Nation's Capital" just in time for America's historic 250th anniversary.
The most recent statue was installed overnight
But the stealthy tactics and classical aesthetic have ignited a fierce backlash from art historians, who claim the midnight installations mimic the behavior of notorious global strongmen.
Maxwell Anderson, former president of the Association of Art Museum Directors, slammed the secret operation, telling the Washington Post: “President Trump’s embrace of an official classicizing style in art and architecture finds its closest equivalent in authoritarian regimes.”
Love it or hate it, Trump's midnight makeover ensures that when world leaders and lawmakers wake up to visit the executive grounds, they are stepping into a historical gallery curated entirely on the president's own secret terms.
It comes after a lip reader exposed FIFA boss Gianni Infantino's desperate plea to Trump that he ignored in a humiliating moment.
