Washington DC - A statue of Christopher Columbus has been erected outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House grounds, the latest in a series of modification pursued by President Donald Trump.

According to a letter sent on Sunday to the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (CIAO), which was made public by the White House, the statue is an exact replica of one that stood in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

It appears that the statue itself was donated by the CIAO, an organization that is dedicated to supporting Italian culture throughout the US.

"The statue you generously gifted is an exact replica of the Columbus statue that stood for more than three decades in the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland," the letter reads.

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"It was torn down by anti-American rioters and thrown into the harbor on July 4, 2020. I am truly honored that this magnificent statue will now sit on the grounds of the White House."

A second statue was also placed on the White House campus, titled "Freedom's Charge," which is reportedly a representation of the American Revolution.

"These statues represent the inspiring historical progression of the American story and will stand as an eternal memorial to courage, adventure, and the noblest aspirations of the human spirit," the White House said.

Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer from the Republic of Genoa. He played a key role in the colonization of the Americas, which resulted in the deaths of countless indigenous inhabitants of North, South, and Central America.

Statues of Columbus have in many cases been taken down across much of the US, largely due to his role in colonialism and chattel slavery.