President Donald Trump announced over the weekend that he was bringing Columbus Day “back from the ashes.”
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In a Sunday post on Truth Social, President Trump shared, “The Democrats did everything possible to destroy Christopher Columbus, his reputation, and all of the Italians that love him so much. They tore down his Statues, and put up nothing but ‘WOKE,’ or even worse, nothing at all!”
President Trump then stated, “Well, you’ll be happy to know, Christopher is going to make a major comeback. I am hereby reinstating Columbus Day under the same rules, dates, and locations as it has had for all of the many decades before.”
Columbus Day was first declared a federal holiday in 1892. It is celebrated on the second Monday in October. However, several states and cities have celebrated the same date as Indigenous Peoples Day, or celebrate both.
According to USA TODAY, Many have criticized Columbus, claiming he glorified the exploitation and genocide of native peoples.
President Trump has commented about Christopher Columbus in the past. He complained that the famous European explorer’s legacy has been undermined.
“Sadly, in recent years, radical activities have sought to undermine Christopher Columbus’ legacy,” Trump claimed in his 2020 Columbus Day proclamation. “These extremists seek to replace discussions of his vast contributions with talk of failings, his discoveries with atrocities, and his achievements with transgressions.
Former President Joe Biden Previously Recognized Indigenous Peoples Day, Acknowledging the “Wrongs and Atrocities” European Explorers Inflicted
Former President Joe Biden recognized Indigenous Peoples Day in a proclamation in 2021. He was the first president to do so.
During his Christopher Columbus proclamation that same year, President Biden spoke about the “painful history of wrongs and atrocities that many European explorers inflicted on the Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities.”
“It is a measure of our greatness as a Nation that we do not seek to bury these shameful episodes of our past,” President Biden stated during his proclamation. “That we face them honestly, we bring them to the light, and we do all we can to address them.”
Biden further shared that the day should be a reflection of the “courage and contributions of Italian Americans through the generations” as well.