Trump's Wall of American Heroes (guess who's name appears in largest font on the wall)

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/06/18/us/trump-america250-freedom-trucks.html

The other exhibitions in the Freedom Trucks were crafted by a pair of conservative nonprofits, PragerU and Hillsdale College. But the “Wall of American Heroes” was created by Freedom 250, a nonprofit effort whose leaders were chosen by President Trump and that was created to lead the planning of celebrations of the nation’s 250th birthday, overshadowing a bipartisan congressional commission.

A spokeswoman for Freedom 250 said Mr. Trump was not directly involved in the selection of those featured.

But the list clearly tracks Mr. Trump’s own lifetime and the heroes of the conservative political movement.


The wall’s tilt toward heroes of the baby boomer generation, for instance, extends beyond Hollywood stars and musicians. Of the four religious leaders on the list, two — Archbishop Fulton Sheen and the Rev. Billy Graham — also appeared on TV regularly in the 1950s and 1960s. The only painter on the list is Norman Rockwell, known for his idealized depictions of American life in that period.

By contrast, there is only a handful of figures from the first decades of American independence.

“That’s a disservice, if your intention is to present the last 250 years,” said Sarah Weicksel, the executive director of the American Historical Association. “Because all of the people on this list are building on the work and struggles and progress that was made by the people in the 150 years prior.”

The “Wall of American Heroes” was inspired by a similar display in a traveling museum created by the State of Virginia. But Virginia’s display celebrates little-known historical figures.

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The only president whose name appears on the wall — not on the list of heroes, but alongside his quotation — is Mr. Trump himself.