June 22 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that he opposed removing the statue of Theodore Roosevelt outside New York City's Museum of Natural History.
The move was announced on Sunday and comes amid anti-racism protests across the U.S. and the world after the death of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, in police custody on May 25 in Minneapolis.
The statue shows Roosevelt on a horse, with a Native American man and an African man by his side.
Many have said the statue symbolizes racial discrimination and colonial expansion.
13PHOTOS
Theodore Roosevelt's statue in NYC
See Gallery
Theodore Roosevelt's statue in NYC
NEW YORK, NY: JUNE 17: A statue of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt on a horse with an Indigenous person walking alongside him on his right as well as an African American person walking alongside on his left side is depicted at the entrance to the Museum of Natural History. For years, this symbol of American superiority has adorned the museum even as calls for its removal have been numerous. A NYPD patrol car sits in front of statue for protection during the American uprising on June 17, 2020 in New York City. Credit: mpi43/MediaPunch /IPX
NEW YORK, NY: JUNE 17: A statue of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt on a horse with an Indigenous person walking alongside him on his right as well as an African American person walking alongside on his left side is depicted at the entrance to the Museum of Natural History. For years, this symbol of American superiority has adorned the museum even as calls for its removal have been numerous. A NYPD patrol car sits in front of statue for protection during the American uprising on June 17, 2020 in New York City. Credit: mpi43/MediaPunch /IPX
NEW YORK, NY: JUNE 17: A statue of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt on a horse with an Indigenous person walking alongside him on his right as well as an African American person walking alongside on his left side is depicted at the entrance to the Museum of Natural History. For years, this symbol of American superiority has adorned the museum even as calls for its removal have been numerous. A NYPD patrol car sits in front of statue for protection during the American uprising on June 17, 2020 in New York City. Credit: mpi43/MediaPunch /IPX
NEW YORK, NY: JUNE 17: A statue of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt on a horse with an Indigenous person walking alongside him on his right as well as an African American person walking alongside on his left side is depicted at the entrance to the Museum of Natural History. For years, this symbol of American superiority has adorned the museum even as calls for its removal have been numerous. A NYPD patrol car sits in front of statue for protection during the American uprising on June 17, 2020 in New York City. Credit: mpi43/MediaPunch /IPX
NEW YORK, NY: JUNE 17: A statue of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt on a horse with an Indigenous person walking alongside him on his right as well as an African American person walking alongside on his left side is depicted at the entrance to the Museum of Natural History. For years, this symbol of American superiority has adorned the museum even as calls for its removal have been numerous. A NYPD patrol car sits in front of statue for protection during the American uprising on June 17, 2020 in New York City. Credit: mpi43/MediaPunch /IPX
NEW YORK, NY: JUNE 17: A statue of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt on a horse with an Indigenous person walking alongside him on his right as well as an African American person walking alongside on his left side is depicted at the entrance to the Museum of Natural History. For years, this symbol of American superiority has adorned the museum even as calls for its removal have been numerous. A NYPD patrol car sits in front of statue for protection during the American uprising on June 17, 2020 in New York City. Credit: mpi43/MediaPunch /IPX
NEW YORK, NY: JUNE 17: A statue of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt on a horse with an Indigenous person walking alongside him on his right as well as an African American person walking alongside on his left side is depicted at the entrance to the Museum of Natural History. For years, this symbol of American superiority has adorned the museum even as calls for its removal have been numerous. A NYPD patrol car sits in front of statue for protection during the American uprising on June 17, 2020 in New York City. Credit: mpi43/MediaPunch /IPX
In this Nov. 17, 2017 file photo, visitors to the American Museum of Natural History in New York look at a statue of Theodore Roosevelt, flanked by a Native American man and African American man. The statue will be coming down after the museum's proposal to remove it was approved by the city (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 16: A view of the Equestrian Statue of Theodore Roosevelt at American Museum of Natural History on June 16, 2020 in New York City. The killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis has brought a heightened awareness to racial justice across America, and many have long called for taking down statues of Confederate generals and others who helped perpetuate racial injustice. (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 16: A view of the Equestrian Statue of Theodore Roosevelt at American Museum of Natural History on June 16, 2020 in New York City. The killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis has brought a heightened awareness to racial justice across America, and many have long called for taking down statues of Confederate generals and others who helped perpetuate racial injustice. (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 16: A view of the Equestrian Statue of Theodore Roosevelt at American Museum of Natural History on June 16, 2020 in New York City. The killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis has brought a heightened awareness to racial justice across America, and many have long called for taking down statues of Confederate generals and others who helped perpetuate racial injustice. (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 16: A police car stands by guarded barricades near the Equestrian Statue of Theodore Roosevelt at American Museum of Natural History on June 16, 2020 in New York City. The killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis has brought a heightened awareness to racial justice across America, and many have long called for taking down statues of Confederate generals and others who helped perpetuate racial injustice. (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images)
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - 2017/10/26: Roosevelt statue covered in "blood". The statue of Theodore Roosevelt outside the American Museum of Natural History in New York was covered with a blood-like substance by activists demanding its removal. Police arrived on the scene and cordoned off the statue with crime scene tape since they were not able to determine if real blood was used. (Photo by Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Up Next
See Gallery
Discover More Like This
HIDE CAPTION
SHOW CAPTION
of
SEE ALL
BACK TO SLIDE
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Sunday that the city was in favor of the request from the museum to remove the statue because it "depicts black and indigenous people as subjugated and racially inferior."
"Ridiculous, don't do it," Trump said in a tweet on Monday.
In the ongoing ant-racism demonstrations, protesters across the United States and around the world have demanded that authorities take down monuments honoring pro-slavery Confederate figures and the architects of Europe's colonies.
Trump has blasted the protests, saying demonstrators have behaved badly.
"The unhinged left-wing mob is trying to vandalize our history, desecrate our monuments - our beautiful monuments - tear down our statues and punish, cancel and persecute anyone who does not conform to their demands for absolute and total control. We're not conforming," the U.S. president told supporters at a rally last week.
