The Dispatch
The Kentucky General Assembly has introduced Senate Resolution 204 and House Resolution 132, recommending that a permanent statue of United States Senator Mitch McConnell be placed in the New State Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort, currently undergoing a 300 million dollar renovation. Senate President Robert Stivers filed the resolution, describing McConnell as the most influential Kentuckian in the last century or, possibly, the history of the state. McConnell, 84, served as United States Senator from Kentucky from 1985 until his retirement and became the longest-serving Senate party leader in American history. The resolution does not carry the force of law. It is intended, per its sponsor, to start the discussion.
The proposal has received mixed reviews. Donald Trump Jr. responded to the statue resolution on X with the following assessment: “It belongs in Kiev, not Kentucky.” This is a geographic recommendation, not an endorsement. President Donald Trump has not publicly commented on the Kentucky statue specifically, though his views on Senator McConnell are a matter of extensive public record. The President has previously described McConnell as a “political hack,” referred to him as “Old Crow,” accused him of “getting NOTHING done,” and stated that McConnell had “betrayed” him following January 6, 2021, when the Senator described Trump as “practically and morally responsible” for the attack on the Capitol before voting to acquit him. The relationship between the two men has been described by both parties as not warm. Senator McConnell did not seek reelection.
The Kentucky General Assembly has not passed legislation making Juneteenth a state holiday. Juneteenth, which commemorates the effective end of slavery in the United States on June 19, 1865, became a federal holiday in 2021. As of this filing, Kentucky is among the states that have not enacted Juneteenth as an official state holiday. Governor Andy Beshear has publicly described the simultaneous advancement of the McConnell statue resolution and the absence of Juneteenth legislation as wrong. He suggested that a more fitting subject for commemoration might be General Charles Young.
This correspondent notes the following regarding General Charles Young. Charles Young was born into slavery on March 12, 1864, in Mays Lick, Kentucky. His father escaped enslavement in 1865 and enlisted in the United States Colored Heavy Artillery. Young became the third Black graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1889. He was the first Black national park superintendent, overseeing Sequoia National Park in 1903. He was the first Black military attache. He was the first Black man to achieve the rank of colonel in the United States Army. He was passed over for promotion to brigadier general in 1917, despite his distinguished record, because White officers declined to serve under a Black superior. The Secretary of War medically retired him instead. To demonstrate his fitness for active duty, Young rode 500 miles on horseback from Wilberforce, Ohio, to Washington DC. The Secretary of War did not reverse the decision. Young died in Nigeria in 1922. He was buried with full military honours at Arlington National Cemetery. In 2022 — one hundred years after his death — he was posthumously promoted to brigadier general. Governor Beshear had initiated Kentucky’s request for this promotion in 2020. Neither President Trump nor Donald Trump Jr. has publicly commented on General Young.
The New State Capitol Rotunda currently contains statues of Abraham Lincoln, Henry Clay, Alben Barkley, and Dr. Ephraim McDowell. There is also a vacant corner where a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis stood until Governor Beshear requested its removal in 2020. The General Assembly has final say over permanent displays in the space. Senate Resolution 204 is in committee. Juneteenth is not on the legislative calendar. General Young does not currently have a statue in the Kentucky Capitol. These are the facts as filed.
Source Block
Primary source: Governor Andy Beshear — Facebook post (screenshot on file)
Screenshot on file: screenshots/beshear-mitch-statue-juneteenth.pngSupporting sources:
- Kentucky Lantern / Yahoo News — McConnell statue resolution: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/kentucky-republican-calls-mcconnell-statue-222905216.html
- LegiScan — SR204 text: https://legiscan.com/KY/bill/SR204/2026
- Donald Trump Jr. — X post: https://x.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/ (via Townhall coverage)
- Townhall — Trump Jr. and MAGA reaction: https://townhall.com/tipsheet/josephchalfant/2026/03/30/andy-barrs-desire-for-a-mitch-mcconnell-statue-has-come-back-to-haunt-him-n2673669
- National Park Service — Charles Young biography: https://home.nps.gov/people/charles-young.htm
- Wikipedia — Charles Young: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Young_(United_States_Army_officer)
- ExploreKYHistory — Charles Young Kentucky record: https://explorekyhistory.ky.gov/items/show/270
