In a fiery declaration that stirred both historical pride and modern controversy, President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he would “bring Columbus Day back from the ashes,” striking directly at the heart of what he characterized as the Democrats’ relentless efforts to erase a pivotal figure from American memory.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump issued a rallying cry for the restoration of Columbus Day to its traditional prominence, blasting those who have sought to vilify Christopher Columbus.
“The Democrats did everything possible to destroy Christopher Columbus, his reputation, and all of the Italians that love him so much,” Trump wrote, adding, “They tore down his statues, and put up nothing but ‘WOKE,’ or even worse, nothing at all!”
With his characteristic flair, Trump promised not just symbolic support but real action. “Christopher is going to make a major comeback,” he declared, pledging to reinstate Columbus Day under “the same rules, dates, and locations” that had honored it for decades.
“I’m bringing Columbus Day back from the ashes…” —President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/SBjEAhcrxy
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 27, 2025
Columbus, once celebrated almost universally as the explorer who bridged the Old World and the New, has become a polarizing figure in recent years. While his 1492 voyage across the Atlantic forever altered the course of history—linking Europe with the Americas—it also marked the beginning of colonization and enslavement, legacies that have fueled modern calls to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
The intensity of the backlash against Columbus has been visible across the country. Statues of the explorer have been toppled, defaced, set ablaze, and even dragged into bodies of water in the wake of the 2020 protests following George Floyd’s death.
One of the most dramatic moments came in Richmond, Virginia, where an 8-foot bronze statue was ripped from its pedestal and submerged in a nearby pond by demonstrators before being later restored and relocated to a suburb of New York City.
For Trump, the battle over Columbus is emblematic of a broader cultural fight. In reinstating Columbus Day, he signals a broader resistance against what he views as the erasure of American history and tradition at the hands of progressive ideology.
