Statue of William Harvey

The National Garden of American Heroes is a proposed sculpture garden honoring "great figures of America's history". The concept was first put forward by President Donald Trump in 2020 during an Independence Day event in Keystone, South Dakota. It was included in a series of executive orders issued by Trump in the final months of his first term in office that sought to address conservative cultural grievances. In July 2025, Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which appropriates $40 million to establish and maintain the National Garden of American Heroes. Trump's vision for the garden includes the creation of 250 statues depicting notable Founding Fathers, activists, political figures, businesspeople, athletes, celebrities, and pop culture icons. Initial reactions by historians were largely negative, with many criticizing the choices as seemingly random and political. Reactions by sculptors were also negative, with many describing the requested criteria for the statues as unrealistic and unworkable for the money and timetable expected.