Barber presents Jefferson statue to Trump in White House Rose Garden

Filmmaker Steven C. Barber says he presented a Thomas Jefferson statue to President Donald Trump at the White House last Thursday, with the monument set to remain in the Rose Garden. Barber is now seeking funding for a second Trump monument in Huntington Beach ahead of November.

Why it matters: - The Jefferson statue adds a new presidential monument to the White House grounds and ties Barber’s work to a high-visibility public setting. - Barber’s next project could put another Trump monument in California before the November election, if funding comes together.

What happened: - Steven C. Barber presented a statue of Thomas Jefferson to President Donald Trump at the White House last Thursday in the Rose Garden. - The Jefferson monument will reside in the Rose Garden. - Barber said the White House presentation followed Trump’s suggestion to bring Jefferson to the Rose Garden. - Barber is now pursuing a second President Trump monument in Huntington Beach.

The details: - Barber is the project leader for a 45th and 47th Presidential monument to President Donald John Trump. - Barber says he is the first person in 250 years to build a monument for a sitting president while that president is in office. - Barber presented a President Trump statue at the Trump International golf course in Palm Beach, Florida, on April 1, 2025. - The Thomas Jefferson statue was conceived and built by George and Mark Lundeen of Loveland, Colorado. - Barber is the founder of Vanilla Fire Productions, based in Santa Monica, California. - Barber says he has produced more than 10 feature film documentaries and received three Oscar short-list nods. - Barber says his monument work also includes the Apollo 11 Monument at Kennedy Space Center, the Apollo 13 monument at the Houston Space Center, and the Sally Ride Monument at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. - Barber said Trump called the Lundeen shop and left a voicemail thanking George Lundeen and praising his sculpture work. - Barber is working with former Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns on the planned Trump monument in Patriot Park. - Patriot Park is a 7-acre facility next to the Huntington Beach police station. - Barber is seeking funding to build and unveil the Huntington Beach monument before November. - Barber has invited Trump to attend the unveiling in November. - Barber said, “Once you taste purpose, the taste of simply existing is completely unsatisfying.” - More information is available at Vanilla Fire Productions.

Between the lines: - Barber is positioning monument projects as both civic art and political symbolism. - The planned California unveiling suggests an effort to keep the Trump monument project in the public eye during the election cycle. - The direct involvement Barber describes between Trump and the sculptor adds a personal note to the project narrative.

What's next: - Barber will continue seeking funding for the Huntington Beach monument. - Barber is aiming to complete and unveil the California monument before the November election. - The project team is waiting to see whether Trump will attend the unveiling if the monument is finished on time.