Scott Jennings and Maxwell Frost Clash Over Statues and Smithsonian Review

On Tuesday, Scott Jennings from the Salem Radio Network reminded Florida Democrat Maxwell Frost about the destruction of statues during the 2020 George Floyd protests. This exchange followed Frost’s criticism of former President Donald Trump, who ordered a review of a Smithsonian exhibit.

Following the death of George Floyd in May 2020, various statues were either demolished by protesters or removed by local authorities. Trump’s recent directive to review the Smithsonian exhibit led to a discussion on CNN, where Frost faced off against lawyer Arthur Adara regarding the Christopher Columbus statue. Adara claimed that it would be removed if New York City’s Democratic candidate Zoran Mamdani were to win.

In response, Frost stated, “Mamdani isn’t saying he’s going to go to agencies or museums and change things. No, he said he’s going to take down the historic landmark Christopher Columbus statue.”

Trump’s order, which aimed to restore memorials taken down during the Biden administration, included a mandate for the Smithsonian to reassess its exhibitions in light of the upcoming 250th anniversary celebrations, according to reports.

Host Abby Phillip remarked that Trump is compelling people to think about politics in ways they hadn’t before. “Most Americans didn’t expect the U.S. president to get involved in the Smithsonian exhibit, and now he is,” she noted.

She also highlighted the irony of discussing changes to historical exhibits when many were outraged during the protests that saw our nation’s statues being destroyed. For instance, the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee was melted down following the unrest.

Jennings disputed the claim, remarking that when those statues were being pulled down, they weren’t just being preserved in museums. “You may mistakenly remember how it happened, but that’s what happened,” he told Frost, emphasizing the chaos of the moment.