Trump doubles down on Columbus Day celebration, vows to end ‘plunder’ of statues

President Donald Trump used the Columbus Day weekend to renew his defense of the federal holiday, a observance that remains at the center of a national argument over how the country remembers its past. In a Sunday social media post, he wished everyone a happy holiday, criticized those who have torn down Christopher Columbus statues, and declared the monuments "are back.", according to MS NOW.

The weekend followed a week of White House activity. Trump held an event unveiling a 13-foot Columbus statue on the grounds, and on Saturday the administration launched an interactive web page about the explorer's voyage. According to MS NOW, the page omits the harms done to Native Americans, among them mass killings, forced labor and new diseases. Several cities removed Columbus statues in 2020, including in Boston, Baltimore and outside the Minnesota State Capitol.

Joe Biden in 2021 became the first president to recognize the day as Indigenous Peoples' Day, which Republicans, Trump among them, derided as "woke." Trump portrays Columbus as a hero and a emblem of Italian American contributions. Democrats increasingly emphasize Native American history instead.

Summarized by PolitiKool from MS NOW’s reporting. Read the full story at MS NOW →