DC's only outdoor Confederate statue reinstalled after Trump order

The sole statue commemorating a Confederate general was returned to the nation's capital on Saturday, in adherence to an executive order signed by President Trump.

The statue of Brig. Gen. Albert Pike was replaced in Washington after protesters took it down by hand in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests. After being toppled, it was placed in storage and underwent restoration by the National Park Service’s (NPS) Historic Preservation Training Center, according to the agency.

Trump's executive order, “Making the District of Columbia Beautiful,” called for “monuments, museums, and buildings [that] should reflect and inspire awe and appreciation for our Nation’s strength, greatness, and heritage.” The order also called for the "restoration of Federal public monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties that have been damaged or defaced, or inappropriately removed or changed, in recent years."

“The restoration aligns with federal responsibilities under historic-preservation law and recent executive orders to beautify the nation’s capital and restore pre-existing statues,” the Interior Department said in a statement.

Washington, D.C., Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) on Monday called the move "morally objectionable" and "an affront to the mostly Black and Brown residents of the District of Columbia and offensive to members of the military who serve honorably."

“Pike himself served dishonorably," Norton's statement reads. "He took up arms against the United States, misappropriated funds, and was ultimately captured and imprisoned by his own troops. He resigned in disgrace after committing a war crime and dishonoring even his own Confederate military service."

"Confederate statues should be placed in museums as historical artifacts, not remain in parks or other locations that imply honor," she continued. "Pike represents the worst of the Confederacy and has no claim to be memorialized in the Nation’s capital.”

Congress authorized the statue in 1898, and it was dedicated in 1901 to honor Pike's leadership as a Freemason, NPS stated.

While he's known for his association with the South, Pike was born in Boston and was once part of the anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant Know Nothing Party.