Donald Trump Condemns ‘Ridiculous’ Bill de Blasio Decision to Remove Theodore Roosevelt Statue

President Donald Trump on Monday condemned a decision by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to remove the statue of former President Theodore Roosevelt in front of the Natural History Museum.

“Ridiculous, don’t do it!” Trump wrote on Twitter, sharing a story about the mayor describing the statue as “problematic.”

“The City supports the Museum’s request,” de Blasio said. “It is the right decision and the right time to remove this problematic statue.”

Roosevelt was a pioneer in the preservation of historic and natural wonders. The iconic 13-foot statue sits outside the entrance of the American Museum of Natural History.

The museum’s president Ellen Futter told the New York Times on Sunday that they were “profoundly moved by the ever-widening movement for racial justice” after the George Floyd protests, and requested that the statue be removed.

“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,” she said. “Simply put, the time has come to move it.”

Ridiculous, don’t do it! https://t.co/VYez8p9AJh

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 22, 2020