In yet another reversal from his predecessor, President Donald Trump has announced that his White House will seemingly not recognize Indigenous Peoples Day, an alternative or addition to Columbus Day that honors the original inhabitants of the Americas and their descendants. Instead, Trump will focus on Columbus Day and its namesake explorer despite the dark history and legacy of Christopher Columbus.
Trump announces that he’s ‘bringing Columbus Day back’
Trump recently took to social media to proclaim, “I’m bringing Columbus Day back from the ashes.” Falsely claiming, “The Democrats did everything possible to destroy Christopher Columbus, his reputation, and all of the Italians that love him so much,” Trump went on to announce that he was “reinstating Columbus Day under the same rules, dates, and locations, as it has had for all of the many decades before!” The White House retweeted Trump’s message, declaring, “Christopher Columbus is so back.”
History of Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day
Trump’s comment about Italians references the importance that Columbus Day has had for Italian Americans. The holiday was created in 1892 in response to anti-Italian prejudice and violence in the United States, including the 1891 lynching of Italian American immigrants in New Orleans. Columbus Day, celebrated on the second Monday in October to honor the Italian explorer who ‘discovered’ the Americas on behalf of Spain in 1492, became a national holiday in 1934, according to The Associated Press. For years, Native American communities, activists and allies have objected to Columbus Day, noting how the explorer and his men and successors committed mass murder, rape and enslavement against Indigenous populations. Indigenous Peoples Day, which is observed on the same day, has gained popularity in recent years to honor Native Americans and to avoid celebrating Columbus and his legacy of colonialism and genocidal practices in the Americas.
Columbus Day never went away
Trump’s declaration implies that he is reversing the policies of the Biden administration, which was the first to mark Indigenous Peoples Day. In the first White House declaration for Indigenous Peoples Day, President Joe Biden stated in 2021 that “for generations, Federal policies systematically sought to assimilate and displace Native people and eradicate Native cultures.” Biden declared then that “today, we recognize Indigenous peoples’ resilience and strength as well as the immeasurable positive impact that they have made on every aspect of American society.” Jen Psaki, Biden’s White House press secretary, clarified at the time that the White House was not canceling Columbus Day, noting that “today is both Columbus Day, as of now, as well as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.”
Despite the reality, Trump has argued for years that Columbus Day was under attack as part of a “woke” political agenda, and his new declaration pushes that narrative. Given the Trump agenda, it appears that this year’s Columbus Day will be another example of whitewashing American history, rolling back an ongoing conversation by and about Indigenous Americans in the process.
