Trump Defends Columbus Legacy at White House

President Donald Trump used a White House Columbus Day event to praise Christopher Columbus, pledge to protect his legacy and condemn efforts to remove his statues or replace the holiday. The event featured a marble replica of a Columbus statue toppled in Baltimore in 2020, with fragments of the original incorporated into its base; it was installed near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Trump highlighted Italian American heritage, framed the event as a defense of national history and attacked political opponents, including a Democratic Senate candidate. The event came shortly before Columbus Day and weeks ahead of the midterm elections, amid ongoing debate over Columbus’s role in colonization, violence, enslavement and the displacement of Indigenous peoples, with some jurisdictions observing Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead.