Trump calls Columbus a hero and unveils new White House statue

President Donald Trump said, I resurrected Christopher Columbus, during a White House event celebrating Columbus Day. The administration unveiled a new Rose Garden statue of the Italian explorer and hosted guests on a newly installed Italian marble floor inside the under-construction ballroom, marking a full return to honoring the voyage after the previous administration officially recognized Indigenous Peoples Day alongside the holiday.

White House Unveils New Columbus Statue and Marble Flooring

Trump spent the Friday event defending the Italian explorer against modern criticism, pointing to a newly crafted statue designed by the creator of the White House heliport that will stand in the Rose Garden. He also highlighted a replica statue installed in March in front of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building—a replacement for a monument toppled into Baltimore’s harbor during 2020 racial justice protests. Christopher Columbus changed the future of humanity forever, and in this administration, we know that Christopher Columbus is to us a hero, Trump said, crediting the explorer with discovering the new world and paving the way for the United States.

Contrasting Federal Holiday Proclamations Under Trump and Biden

The celebration highlights a sharp federal shift regarding the October holiday. In 2021, President Joe Biden formally proclaimed Indigenous Peoples Day to be recognized alongside Columbus Day to honor the resilience and sovereignty of Native Americans, stating that the nation had never fully lived up to its promise of equality. Last year, Trump issued a presidential proclamation designating the date solely as Columbus Day, completely reversing that dual recognition.

Calls for Restoring Removed Statues in Ohio

During the White House gathering, Trump turned his focus to municipal disputes over public monuments, specifically demanding that a removed Christopher Columbus statue be returned to the heart of Columbus, Ohio. Democratic Mayor Andrew Ginther had ordered that statue taken down in 2020 after determining it represented division and oppression. Trump’s remarks also praised several prominent Italian Americans in attendance, including opera singer Christopher Macchio, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, and the son of Rudy Giuliani.