Trump pays homage to Columbus, unveils special tribute from Italy

For years, President Trump has called for Christopher Columbus to be returned to his place among the respected, great men who are part of this nation's history.

And his speech just days before Columbus Day was the latest of his defiant pronouncements against those who hate America's history.

'We're going to place it in a very special place of honor.'

On Friday, President Trump hosted a celebration of Christopher Columbus at the White House in the latest of his efforts to rehabilitate the 15th-century Italian explorer whose memory and legacy have been maligned in recent years by the woke left.

Trump, however, has long been a staunch supporter of Christopher Columbus and his legacy, even calling for the U.S. to "BRING BACK COLUMBUS DAY" four years ago. In April 2025, he posted on Truth Social that he would bring Columbus Day "back from the ashes" after the "Democrats did everything possible to destroy" him, including the destruction of his statues.

During his speech Friday, Trump echoed a number of these sentiments and made some important announcements in his efforts to rehabilitate Columbus Day.

“Christopher Columbus changed the future of humanity forever. And in this administration, we know that Christopher Columbus is — to us, he’s a hero. He’s a hero," Trump said.

RELATED: Social studies teacher vandalizes Christopher Columbus statue

Trump told the story of Baltimore's statue of Columbus, "made from the finest Italian marble," which faced the city's Little Italy.

"But on July 4, 2020, a hate-filled mob of radical left lunatics and Marxists, communists lashed chains around Columbus' neck," toppled the statue to the ground, and dumped the broken remains into Baltimore Harbor, he said.

“They want to tear down the history and heritage that makes us who we are, not only Columbus," Trump reminded the audience at Friday's event.

The fragments were quickly recovered by Italian-Americans, and a restored version of the statue, using the fragments of the destroyed statue from Baltimore, was placed outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building near the White House earlier this year. Trump said last month he placed it there "in Honor of the Italian American Community" — a common theme during Friday's event as well.

President Trump indicated that there was another surprise — but he hadn't seen it yet.

Trump introduced Brett Rugo during the speech and explained that Rugo had presented the White House with "a one-of-a-kind 19th-century statue of Christopher Columbus from Italy."

He told the crowd that he had not seen the statue yet. He asked the audience what they thought of it, and many gave signs of approval.

Trump went on to explain the plans for the statue: "We're going to be bringing Brett's [statue] over to the Rose Garden, and we're going to place it in a very special place of honor."

“While I’m president of the United States, we’ll always honor and celebrate the immortal legends," Trump said.

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