Trump announces that respect and honor for Christopher Columbus will return to the U.S.: 'Democrats did everything possible to destroy him'

President Donald Trump announced Sunday on Truth Social that he intends to reinstate Columbus Day, reaffirming his commitment to the holiday that commemorates Christopher Columbus' arrival in America in 1492.

In the post, the Republican leader criticized Democrats for what he considers an attempt to "destroy" Columbus' reputation and the legacy of Italian-Americans, accusing them of tearing down statues and replacing them with "nothing at all" or "woke" content.

"I’m bringing Columbus Day back from the ashes. 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! 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!"

The White House announced the Republican's move by posting a message on X where President Trump can be seen next to Columbus wearing sunglasses.

"'I'm bringing Columbus Day back from the ashes...' —President Donald J. Trump"

"Restoring truth and sanity to American history"

In the same vein, on March 27, President Donald Trump signed the executive order entitled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" aimed at reversing what his administration considers a negative reinterpretation of the country's history.

The measure seeks to counter "divisive race-centered ideologies" in federal institutions, such as the Smithsonian, and restore monuments, statues and plaques removed since January 2020 that, according to the order, respond to "false" or partisan narratives.

Among the prominent figures is Christopher Columbus, whose monuments have been removed in several cities following the 2020 protests over the death of George Floyd.

The order tasks the Department of the Interior with reviewing these changes and reinstalling the affected monuments, although there are no official details yet on implementation.

Biden and Columbus Day: A stance that generated criticism

In October 2022, former Democratic President Joe Biden issued a presidential proclamation declaring the second Monday of October as Columbus Day, calling for the American flag to fly on public buildings "in honor of our diverse history."

However, his speech generated criticism from the Hispanic community, which felt that the Spanish legacy in America was omitted.

Biden highlighted Italian-American heritage, referring to Italian immigrants and their contribution to the United States, but did not mention the impact of Hispanic culture or the role of Spain in Columbus' expedition.

The Hispanic community, which totals more than 60 million people in the United States, expressed its discontent with the lack of recognition. In that sense, organizations such as the Hispanic Council stressed the importance of Hispanic heritage in the discovery of the New World and claimed Columbus Day as a relevant holiday for their community.

In addition, a survey conducted at the time by the Bienvenido and WPA Intelligence organization revealed that 43% of Hispanics rate Christopher Columbus positively, a figure higher than the approval of Biden (with 42% disapproval) and Vice President Kamala Harris (41% disapproval) among this community.