Trump issues a Columbus Day proclamation to 'reclaim' the explorer's legacy

President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation declaring Monday to be Columbus Day, in an effort to "reclaim" what he called the famed explorer's "extraordinary legacy of faith, courage, perseverance and virtue."

The proclamation comes after Trump said in a social media post in April that to bring the holiday "back from the ashes," he would reinstate "Columbus Day under the same rules, dates and locations, as it has had for all of the many decades before!"

In recent years, many people have instead celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day to recognize Native land and acknowledge the contributions Native Americans have made to the country.

Critics and advocates like Kerri Malloy, a professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies at San José State University, have challenged Columbus Day and Christopher Columbus' legacy. He says Columbus' arrival to the Americas "triggered a mass genocide of Indigenous people throughout the Western hemisphere," which included deadly diseases being spread among them, their land being stolen and being forced into Christianity.

Thursday's proclamation does not mention Indigenous Peoples Day, but it accuses "left-wing arsonists" of trying to "destroy [Columbus'] name and dishonor his memory."

Columbus Day is one of 12 federally recognized holidays in 2025. According to the Pew Research Center, 30 states and three U.S. territories recognize Columbus Day in some way, while 17 states and Washington, D.C., commemorate Indigenous people on that day. Included in those tallies are the several states that recognize both. In 2021, Joe Biden became the first president to officially recognize Indigenous Peoples Day on the same date as Columbus Day.

Columbus was born in Italy in 1451 and sailed to what he thought would be Asia in 1492, with support from the Spanish monarchy. He instead arrived in what is now the Bahamas. He would make three more voyages to South America, Central America and the Caribbean before his death but never made it to what is now the U.S., according to Britannica.

President Benjamin Harrison first commemorated Columbus Day in 1892, a year after anti-Italian rhetoric culminated in the murder of 11 Italian immigrants in New Orleans by a lynch mob. The attack put a strain on the relationship between Italy and the U.S., and the holiday was an olive branch. President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed it a federal holiday in 1934.

After signing the document Thursday, Trump said, "We're back, Italians. We love the Italians."

Rep. Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican, lauded his proclamation, writing on X, "New Yorkers [love] Columbus Day!"

Rep. Mike Lawler, a New York Republican and Italian American, said on X, "Viva Italia! As a proud Italian-American, I fully support protecting Columbus Day and celebrating the rich history and contributions of Italian Americans."

Others weren't as enthused.

"The proclamation reiterates the American fantasy of Columbus' voyage as solely a story of discovery and exploration, versus what it really was about — commerce and the exploitation of resources," said Malloy, the San José State professor. "You can't tell a story without telling both sides of it."

Still, the president is encouraging Americans to celebrate Columbus in some way on the holiday and display the U.S. flag on all public buildings.

"This is the president trolling people of color, underrepresented minorities that tend not to vote for his party or candidacy," said Matthew Fletcher, director of the Indigenous Law and Policy Center at Michigan State University. "My sense is there's not a massive groundswell in favor of Columbus Day anymore, except, possibly, the Italian Americans."

Fletcher said that regardless of what the day is called, Indigenous people still will celebrate and be celebrated.

"It's local, it's tribal, it's statewide in a lot of places, and it's still going to be a legitimate thing, and people take it seriously," he said.