Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston among musicians on Trump's statue garden list

19 January 2021, 11:39 | Written by Cerys Kenneally

(News)

Donald Trump has ordered the construction of over 200 statues for the National Garden of American Heroes as his presidency draws to a close, featuring musicians Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and more.

Yesterday (18 January), during Trump's second last full day as US president, he issued an amended executive order that added more than 200 names to the proposed National Garden of American Heroes statuary park.

Trump first announced plans of the garden back in July 2020 during his speech at Mt. Rushmore, amid the BLM protests and social unrest that saw monuments related to the Confederacy vandalised and destroyed.

The list of names Trump wants honoured in the statue garden include musicians such as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Johnny Cash, Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.

According to Variety, the The monument will honour those considered to be "historically significant" which is defined as "an individual who made substantive contributions to America’s public life or otherwise had a substantive effect on America’s history."

There are also a number of proposed honourees for the garden that aren't American - Swedish actor Ingrid Bergman, British director Alfred Hitchcock, and Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek.

Full list of those getting statues in the National Garden of American Heroes per Trump's EO just now pic.twitter.com/YEfBRqlVoL
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) January 18, 2021

The statuary park is yet to get a location, and with Trump's last full day in office happening today (19 January), it seems quite unlikely that the statues in the National Garden of American Heroes will be constructed.

Trump is expected to issue around 100 pardons today (19 January) during his last day in office, with rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black expected to receive pardons.