The Trump administration has shown a keen interest in how American history is represented, targeting policies and institutions that are labeled as “woke.”
President Trump announces he will ‘bring back’ Columbus Day
US President Donald Trump has announced that he will “bring Columbus Day back from the ashes”, claiming that Democrats have tried to destroy the heritage of Christopher Columbus and Italian Americans.
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President Donald Trump’s traditional approach to American history has extended into Columbus Day with a proclamation praising Italian explorer Christopher Columbus as an “original American hero” and accusing his critics of slander.
“Outrageously, in recent years, Christopher Columbus has become the primary target of a vicious and ruthless campaign to erase our nation’s history, denigrate our hero, and attack our nation’s traditions,” reads the proclamation, which President Trump signed on Oct. 9, ahead of the Oct. 13 holiday.
A federal holiday since 1892, Columbus Day is observed on the second Monday in October. However, some states and cities celebrate this day as Indigenous Peoples Day or commemorate both.
Former President Joe Biden recognized both Indigenous Peoples Day and Columbus Day in 2021 amid concerns that honoring explorers glorifies the exploitation and genocide of indigenous peoples. Biden became the first president to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day.
“We call this Columbus Day,” President Trump said on October 9.
President Trump’s focus on Columbus Day comes as his administration targets supposedly “woke” policies and institutions, including eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the federal government and withholding funding from some universities.
President Trump has long complained that Columbus, who landed in the Americas in 1492, is being treated unfairly as his legacy is reevaluated.
“Columbus Day, Italians, we are back,” President Trump said on Oct. 9. “We love Italians.”
In a social media post in April, President Trump blasted Democratic efforts to “smear” the explorer’s reputation, saying his political opponents “tear down his statue and put up nothing but the word ‘happened’, or worse, nothing!”
The Trump administration has a strong interest in how American history is represented. For example, in August it began a review of the Smithsonian Institution and its iconic museums. According to the letter initiating the review, the administration wants to “eliminate divisive or partisan rhetoric” and “celebrate American exceptionalism.”
In March, the president issued an executive order titled “Returning Truth and Sanity to American History,” which laid the groundwork for an overhaul of the Smithsonian’s museums. The order faced criticism from some historians who questioned whether it allowed for a balanced and accurate telling of history.
In his 2021 Columbus Day proclamation, Biden acknowledged “the painful history of evil and brutality inflicted on tribal nations and indigenous communities by many European explorers.”
“It is a measure of our greatness as a nation that we do not seek to bury the shameful episodes of our past; that we do all we can to confront them honestly, bring them to light, and address them,” the declaration continued.
Biden also said the day should be a day to reflect on the “courage and contributions of generations of Italian Americans.”
