Indigenous Peoples' Day is a holiday in the United States that honours and celebrates the cultures and contributions of Indigenous American people. It is observed on the second Monday in October as a way to recognise and acknowledge the history and ongoing struggles of Native American communities.
What did Donald Trump state about Columbus Day Being Celebrated as Indigenous Peoples’ Day?
On Sunday, April 27, 2025, the US current president, Donald Trump, made it clear that he won't continue the practice of the previous president in recognising Indigenous Peoples Day alongside Columbus Day in October.
He thinks Democrats are disrespecting Christopher Columbus's history. He's campaigning to bring back what he sees as important American traditions.
The Democrat Joe Biden was the first president to officially recognise Indigenous Peoples Day. Back in 2021, he made a statement celebrating the important contributions and strength of Native American people and acknowledging their right to self-govern.
His statement also mentioned that America was founded on the idea of equality and opportunity for everyone, but that the country hasn't always lived up to that promise, especially when it comes to the rights of the Indigenous people who were here long before Europeans arrived.
Interestingly, Columbus never actually set foot in North America or any land that's now the U.S. But he became a significant figure in the U.S. as more Italian immigrants came, and politicians wanted their support.
When Was the First Columbus Day Celebrated?
The very first Columbus Day celebration in the U.S. happened after 11 Italian-American immigrants were tragically lynched in New Orleans in 1891.
The following year, President Benjamin Harrison led the commemoration. Later, in 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt made Columbus Day a national holiday.
The current President has often complained about Democrats removing statues of Columbus, and he brought it up again in his post on Sunday.
Back in 2017, he opposed a review of the big statue of Columbus in New York City's Columbus Circle that the mayor at the time, Bill de Blasio, had ordered. That statue is still there, but some others have been damaged or taken down.
In 2020, the Trump administration even paid to fix a Columbus statue in Baltimore that had been thrown into the harbour during protests after George Floyd's murder by police in Minneapolis.
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