The president of the United States, Donald Trump, has spread this Sunday a message on the occasion of Columbus Day, which the North American country commemorates this Monday, addressed especially to the "Italian-American community" for what it was "forced to suffer" when, especially in previous years, anti-racist activists, indigenous movements, and other anti-colonial groups toppled or damaged, in the context of protests, monuments dedicated to Christopher Columbus and other historical figures.
In his publication, the president has accused leftist sectors of having allowed those episodes of vandalism against statues linked to the Genoese navigator and other figures from the past, in the context of mobilizations questioning the colonial and slaveholding legacy of the United States.
"Happy Columbus Day to all, especially to our great Italian-American community, which was forced to suffer while the 'tontocrats' of radical left, socialists, and communists ravaged our cities and towns by toppling almost all the beautiful statues of Christopher Columbus," expressed the occupant of the White House on social media.
In that same message, Trump emphasized that "those days of looting are over and the statues have returned, more magnificent than ever," and then celebrated "a great day for our great Italian-American community and for Italy itself, perhaps the greatest."
The Republican magnate announced in 2025 the "recovery" of 'Columbus Day' after a wave of protests, particularly those driven by the 'Black Lives Matter' movement against structural racism, which included the destruction or removal of monuments dedicated to figures related to the colonization of America and with the slaveholding and foundational history of the country.
In that context, numerous American cities opted to remove statues and memorials in honor of leaders of the Confederate states, as well as sculptures of Christopher Columbus or the Spanish conqueror Juan de Oñate, in response to the demands of social groups and civil rights advocates.
Despite the "recovery" proclaimed by Trump, Columbus Day has been recognized as a federal holiday since 1971, after decades of pressure, especially from the Italian-American community, which linked this day to the memory of eleven Italians lynched in New Orleans in 1891 during a wave of attacks against immigrants.
His predecessor in the White House, Joe Biden, did not eliminate Columbus Day, although he simultaneously promoted the celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Day on the same date. In previous interventions, the Republican leader has presented himself as a defender of the "American way of life that began with Christopher Columbus."
Katie Zacharia debuts as White House spokesperson
Minutes after his message for Columbus Day, the American president has announced that the new White House spokesperson, Katie Zacharia, will assume the position this Monday, coinciding with the holiday, although her formal presentation to the media will take place on Tuesday at a press conference.
"I am pleased to announce that Katie Zacharia will begin her term as press secretary tomorrow, Columbus Day, and will hold a presentation press conference on Tuesday at 9:30 AM (local time) from the White House press room," Trump has indicated on social media.
"Katie has been with me, in spirit, from the beginning, and she will do a fantastic job," he added about the usual commentator of the conservative Fox News channel, in possible reference to her involvement in Trump's presidential campaigns, which the leader himself highlighted as "impeccable support history" when he made her appointment public on Friday.
Zacharia will thus take over this week in the position left vacant by Karoline Leavitt last August, when she resigned citing the need to reconcile after her recent motherhood. The Press Secretary is one of the most visible positions in the American Administration, serving as the president's main public voice and channeling the relationship with the media, a role especially relevant with the midterm elections, the 'midterms', scheduled for next November 3.