President Trump extolled Christopher Columbus as a pivotal historical figure worth defending, saying so during a holiday event where he also praised Italian-American contributions to the country.
Mr. Trump said he likely got “100%” of the Italian-American vote during his elections.
“Whoever I didn’t get, they’re in hiding,” Mr. Trump told a vocal crowd in the White House East Room.
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Columbus Day falls on the second Monday of October each year. It’s a federal holiday, though many employers don’t give workers a day off.
Italian Americans, in particular, mark the day in honor of the Genoa-born explorer credited with being the first European to land in the Americas in 1492.
Columbus “discovered the New World, eventually leading to the creation of the most exceptional nation in history, the United States of America,” Mr. Trump said. “In this administration, we know that Christopher Columbus is, to us, a hero. He’s a hero.”
Some places celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day as an alternative to honoring Columbus, whose arrival has been blamed by some for the mass eradication of American Indians.
Mr. Trump said that in his White House, “He’s been rehabbed 100%. He’s back to where he should be.”
The president boasted about the Columbus statue he installed at the Executive Office Building next to the White House.
He also recounted how the Knights of Columbus built a replica of the Columbus statue that was torn down in Baltimore in 2020 and thrown into the Inner Harbor. Fragments were recovered from the harbor.
Further, Mr. Trump said the Ohio capital should restore the statue of Columbus that stood in front of city hall for nearly a half-century but was removed six years ago.
“We demand that Christopher Columbus be put back into the heart of Columbus, Ohio,” Mr. Trump said. “We want it back.”
Mr. Trump also name-checked Italians in his administration, such as Social Security Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano, and praised Samuel A. Alito Jr. on the Supreme Court.
The event featured performances of the national anthem, “Ave Maria” and “Nessun Dorma” by Mr. Trump’s preferred tenor, Christopher Macchio.
“That’s the way it’s supposed to be sung,” the president said.
Mr. Trump launched an aside about another famous Italian, Luciano Pavarotti, saying he thought Mr. Macchio was just as good a singer.
Mr. Macchio says Pavarotti was the best.
“I’m working on it,” the singer told Mr. Trump.
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