President Donald Trump declared that October 13 will be recognized as Columbus Day. The previous White House administration was the first to refocus the historical commemoration for Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
“Today our Nation honors the legendary Christopher Columbus — the original American hero, a giant of Western civilization, and one of the most gallant and visionary men to ever walk the face of the earth,” Trump’s proclamation says. “This Columbus Day, we honor his life with reverence and gratitude, and we pledge to reclaim his extraordinary legacy of faith, courage, perseverance, and virtue from the left-wing arsonists who have sought to destroy his name and dishonor his memory.”
The proclamation declares that Columbus “planted a majestic cross in a mighty act of devotion, dedicating the land to God and setting in motion America’s proud birthright of faith.”
“Guided by steadfast prayer and unwavering fortitude and resolve, Columbus’s journey carried thousands of years of wisdom, philosophy, reason, and culture across the Atlantic into the Americas — paving the way for the ultimate triumph of Western civilization less than three centuries later on July 4, 1776,” it adds, going on to condemn the actions taken by “left-wing radicals” who have “toppled his statues, vandalized his monuments, tarnished his character, and sought to exile him from our public spaces.”
President Trump announced earlier this year that Columbus Day will officially return to its traditional standing without being paired with Indigenous Peoples Day. He said in an April statement on Truth Social that he would bring “Columbus Day back from the ashes.”
Upon signing the proclamation, Trump declared, “Columbus Day—we’re back, Italians!”
