President Donald Trump issued a proclamation Thursday designating October 13, 2025, as Columbus Day and directing that American flags be displayed on all public buildings to honor “the great Christopher Columbus and all who have contributed to building our Nation.”
Trump described Columbus as “a giant of Western civilization” and vowed to restore his reputation, criticizing those who have toppled Columbus statues and vandalized monuments.
“We pledge to reclaim his extraordinary legacy of faith, courage, perseverance, and virtue from the left-wing arsonists who have sought to destroy his name and dishonor his memory,” Trump wrote.
The proclamation marks a return to traditional Columbus Day observance following four years in which prior administrations issued joint proclamations recognizing both Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day. President Trump’s order restores Columbus as the sole honoree and directs that flags be flown nationwide — a symbolic shift welcomed by many Italian-American organizations that had criticized the earlier changes.
The proclamation recounts Columbus’s 1492 voyage from Spain aboard the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria and his arrival in the Bahamas, where he “planted a majestic cross … dedicating the land to God and setting in motion America’s proud birthright of faith.”
Trump described the explorer’s journey as carrying “thousands of years of wisdom, philosophy, reason, and culture across the Atlantic into the Americas — paving the way for the ultimate triumph of Western civilization less than three centuries later on July 4, 1776.”
Condemning efforts to remove or deface Columbus statues, the president said “those days are finally over,” asserting that “every citizen is eternally indebted to his relentless determination.”
The proclamation also highlights Italian-American contributions and the “special bond” between the United States and Italy, “rooted in the timeless values of faith, family, and freedom.”
Columbus Day, first established by Congress in 1934 and later fixed as the second Monday in October, honors the Genoese navigator’s 1492 voyage. Trump’s proclamation contrasts sharply with those of prior administrations that emphasized Indigenous Peoples’ Day, recognized by 30 states and more than 200 cities nationwide.
This year’s observance coincides with the ongoing federal government shutdown, leaving most non-essential federal employees furloughed on the holiday.
Trump concluded the proclamation by urging Americans to “observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities,” marking the 250th year of U.S. independence.