President Donald Trump’s Cabinet and others at the White House broke out into applause Thursday afternoon when Trump signed a proclamation honoring Italian explorer Christopher Columbus.
‘Today we have your Columbus Day proclamation for Monday, which we’re signing a bit early,’ White House staff secretary Will Scharf told Trump Thursday ahead of the monthly Cabinet meeting.
‘Columbus, obviously, discovered the new world in 1492. He was a great Italian explorer. He sailed his three ships, the Nina, the Pinto and Santa Maria, across the Atlantic Ocean, and landed in what’s today the Caribbean. And this is a particularly important holiday for Italian Americans who celebrate the legacy of Christopher Columbus, and the innovation and explorer zeal that he represented,’ he continued.
Applause was heard breaking out in the room as Trump added: ‘In other words, we’re calling it Columbus Day.’
Trump continued in his remarks Thursday saying, ‘We’re back, Italians,’ as applause continued.
‘That was the press that broke out in applause,’ Trump quipped of the warm reception to the proclamation. ‘I’ve never seen that happen. The press actually broke out in applause. Good. Columbus Day. We’re back. Columbus Day. We’re back, Italians. We love the Italians.’
Columbus Day has been a federal holiday since 1971, following decades of the Italian American community already celebrating the explorer and previous presidents recognizing the holiday with their own proclamations.
Activists in recent years, however, have worked to disassociate the day from Columbus — claiming it celebrates colonialism and genocide of indigenous people — in favor of celebrating Native Americans. Activists also have worked to remove Columbus statues from cities, including toppling such statues during the riots of 2020.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris was among political leaders who favored celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of Columbus Day, and called on Americans in 2021 to ‘not shy away’ from its ‘shameful past’ of European explorers.
‘Those explorers ushered in a wave of devastation for Tribal nations — perpetrating violence, stealing land and spreading disease,’ she said just one day after Columbus Day 2021. ‘We must not shy away from this shameful past, and we must shed light on it and do everything we can to address the impact of the past on Native communities today.’
Trump also signed another proclamation Thursday honoring Viking explorer Leif Erikson on Oct. 9. Erikson is credited with discovering the coast of Newfoundland in Canada more than 1,000 years ago and is considered the first European to step foot on North America.