Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is celebrating the restoration of Washington’s historic Columbus Fountain ahead of Columbus Day, contrasting the repaired landmark with its vandalized condition during the Biden administration.
WASHINGTON, DC — A historic fountain outside Washington’s Union Station is back in operation after nearly two decades, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is crediting President Donald Trump with restoring the landmark ahead of Columbus Day.
In a social media statement Saturday, Burgum highlighted the transformation of Columbus Circle, where the Christopher Columbus Memorial was vandalized during demonstrations against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in July 2024.
“As we approach Columbus Day, we reflect on the remarkable transformation of Columbus Circle,” Burgum wrote.
“Under the Biden administration, the fountain was broken down and covered in pro-Hamas graffiti. Now, thanks to @POTUS, it is a symbol of American greatness!”
The restoration was completed earlier this year, with federal officials formally reopening the fountain and surrounding plaza on May 29, 2026.
Protesters spray-painted pro-Hamas messages on Columbus monument
The monument became a focal point of demonstrations on July 24, 2024, when protesters gathered outside Union Station during Netanyahu’s address to Congress.
Some demonstrators pulled down American flags, burned flags and vandalized federal property, including the Columbus Memorial.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, one participant, Zaid Mohammed Mahdawi of Richmond, Virginia, spray-painted “HAMAS IS COMIN” on the monument, along with an inverted red triangle.
Mahdawi pleaded guilty to destruction of government property and was sentenced in April 2025 to 10 days in federal prison, followed by six months of supervision, community service and restitution.
Another participant, Isabella Giordano of Towson, Maryland, pleaded guilty to spray-painting graffiti on the fountain and nearby flagpole bases. She received six months of probation and was ordered to pay $500 in restitution.
The National Park Service estimated the cost of cleaning and repairing damage from the protest at approximately $11,282.
Fountain had been out of service since 2007
The historic Columbus Fountain had not operated since 2007.
The Biden-era vandalism added to the monument’s maintenance problems, but the broken fountain was not a new condition created during that administration.
The Trump administration undertook a larger rehabilitation project involving the fountain and surrounding public space.
The Department of the Interior announced in May that five months of construction and preservation work had restored the monument’s water systems, repaired structural components, conserved stonework and improved pedestrian access.
The work returned the fountain to operation for the first time in approximately 19 years.
Trump administration reopens restored landmark
Burgum joined Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, National Park Service officials and representatives from Italy and Spain for the May 29 ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“Columbus Circle is a historic front door to Washington, D.C., and thanks to President Trump today it is once again ready to welcome the public,” Burgum said during the reopening.
The Trust for the National Mall and National Park Foundation had also supported planning and damage assessments for the restoration.
Their work helped inform the repairs ultimately carried out under the Trump administration.
Located directly outside Union Station, the 113-year-old Columbus Memorial is one of the most prominent landmarks greeting visitors arriving in the nation’s capital by train.
Columbus Day celebration brings renewed attention
The restoration is receiving renewed attention as the country prepares to observe Columbus Day on Monday, October 12.
Trump has made restoring historic monuments and celebrating Christopher Columbus a prominent part of his administration’s cultural agenda.
During an October 9 White House celebration, Trump also praised the federal government’s work restoring monuments and removing graffiti throughout Washington.
The president highlighted the Columbus Circle project as part of those efforts.
The monument’s reopening represents both the completion of long-delayed infrastructure repairs and a reversal of the damage inflicted during the 2024 protests.
For Burgum, the restored fountain provides a visible example of the administration’s efforts to rehabilitate historic public landmarks.