Though U.S. President-Elect Joe Biden will be inaugurated on January 20, outgoing President Donald Trump is using his remaining days to prepare around 100 pardons and commutations, according to CNN, and sign new Executive Orders. One Executive Order issued today offers guidance on building a "National Garden of American Heroes," but video game fans noted a potentially odd appearance: William "Billy" Mitchell.
The creation of this National Garden was initiated by Trump with a task force through Executive Order 13934 on July 3, 2020, and today's updates provide "additional direction" now that the "first phase of its work" has been completed. According to amendment 4(b), the site will recognize "historically significant Americans;" those who made substantive contributions to America's public life or history.
Among the 244 names listed are former Presidents including Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt; civil rights activists like Harriet Tubman and Ida B. Wells; and cultural figures such as Muhammad Ali, Alex Trebek, and Jackie Robinson. However, the Billy Mitchell included is not who anyone invested in American video game culture may expect.
Daily Caller White House correspondent Anders Hagstrom confirmed with officials that the National Garden will feature Brigadier General Billy Mitchell, the "Stormy Petrel of the Air" who is considered the Father of the U.S. Air Force. Infamous Donkey Kong and Pac-Man record-holder Billy Mitchell, who had his Guinness World Records reinstated last year after they were stripped following questions stirred by his appearance in the 2007 documentary The King of Kong, will not receive a statute.
While this confusion helped bring some attention to Trump's Executive Order, it has been controversial for other reasons. Its creation is a seemingly political move, with a "Purpose" section detailing the National Garden as a reflection of America's "timeless exceptionalism" in the wake of "anti-American extremism." Examples focus on the toppling of statues like George Washington amid protests following the death of George Floyd in May 2020, as reported by The Oregonian, rather than events like the storming of the U.S. Capitol building on January 6.
On top of that, social media users have taken issue with the inclusion of controversial figures such as Christopher Columbus, who appears alongside prominent Native American activists like Sitting Bull. That said, unless the Executive Order is reversed by Biden, it has been set to receive funding through the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, and the prevailing task force will release an annual public report discussing its construction progress.
Billy Mitchell, the Massachusetts-born video game player and current restaurateur, could conceivably be seen as an icon of the American arcade and the rise of popular video game culture. In fact, Mitchell appeared on All-Elite Wrestling (AEW) in October 2020, proving his name recognition carries to this day. It makes sense why some were confused by Trump's Executive Order, though for now the arcade icon will go without a statue in the National Garden.
Sources: White House, CNN, Forbes, Office of Air Force History, The Oregonian