WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Donald Trump reignited controversy this week by declaring that Columbus Day should be celebrated solely in honor of Christopher Columbus, rejecting efforts to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day alongside it.

In a statement posted on his Truth Social account, Trump called for the holiday’s “restoration,” claiming that left-wing politicians had attempted to erase the Italian explorer’s legacy. “We’re bringing Columbus Day back from the ashes,” he wrote, arguing that traditional American values are under attack by what he termed “woke” ideology.

Trump’s remarks mark a direct contrast to the approach taken by President Joe Biden, who in 2021 became the first U.S. president to formally recognize Indigenous Peoples Day in addition to Columbus Day. That proclamation acknowledged the strength and suffering of Native communities and called for a more inclusive historical narrative.

While Columbus Day is still a federal holiday, more than 20 states and hundreds of cities have either replaced it or chosen to observe Indigenous Peoples Day instead. Supporters of this shift argue that the celebration of Columbus overlooks the violence and displacement experienced by Indigenous peoples following European colonization.

Trump, however, has positioned his stance as a defense of American history and patriotism. He recently signed an executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” directing federal institutions to remove what he described as anti-American content and restore monuments to historical figures that had been removed or defaced.

Indigenous rights advocates criticized Trump’s declaration, saying it ignores the historical trauma caused by colonization and marginalizes Native perspectives.