NEWS Trump Skips Mention of Native Americans in Columbus Day Proclamation

Trump Skips Mention of Native Americans in Columbus Day Proclamation

President Donald Trump's proclamation of Monday as Columbus Day contains a notable omission: any mention of Native Americans.

Contained within the presidential proclamation issued by the White House is praise for explorer Christopher Columbus and his "ambitious and daring voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas" in 1492.

"The permanent arrival of Europeans to the Americas was a transformative event that undeniably and fundamentally changed the course of human history and set the stage for the development of our great Nation," Trump's proclamation reads. "Therefore, on Columbus Day, we honor the skilled navigator and man of faith, whose courageous feat brought together continents and has inspired countless others to pursue their dreams and convictions – even in the face of extreme doubt and tremendous adversity."

The proclamation, dated Friday, notes Columbus' heritage – he is believed to have come from Genoa in present-day Italy – and the contributions of Italian-Americans to "American culture, business, and civic life." It also calls Italy "a strong ally and a valued partner in promoting peace and promoting prosperity around the world."

Yet by not mentioning Native Americans or indigenous peoples, Trump is breaking with a precedent set by his predecessor. Former President Barack Obama, in each Columbus Day proclamation of his Oval Office tenure, nodded to problems suffered by such communities after Columbus' arrival. The explorer has been accused of violence and blamed for opening the door to diseases that devastated natives already living in the Americas. He reportedly enslaved people he encountered as well.

In his first Columbus Day proclamation in 2009, Obama said Columbus' journey paved the way for European immigrants who "joined many thriving indigenous communities who suffered great hardships as a result of the changes to the land they inhabited."

"As we mark this rich history, we must also acknowledge the pain and suffering reflected in the stories of Native Americans who had long resided on this land prior to the arrival of European newcomers," Obama said in his final proclamation of the day last year. "The past we share is marked by too many broken promises, as well as violence, deprivation, and disease."

The omission by Trump also comes as a growing number of U.S. jurisdictions have opted to honor those who preceded Columbus instead of the explorer himself. In August, for example, the Los Angeles City Council voted to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day instead of Columbus day. Officials in Austin, Texas, did the same last week.

The Columbus Day proclamations of Trump's last Republican predecessor, former President George W. Bush, do not feature any usage of the word "native" or "indigenous." In his first such proclamation, in 2001, Bush noted that "Columbus' voyage represented the first linking of the lands and cultures separated by the Atlantic Ocean, and it served as a precursor to the close ties that exist today between America and Europe."

"His discovery connected continents separated by substantial geographic, religious, and cultural barriers; and America has since formed partnerships with nations across the seas that have sought to overcome those and other barriers through agreements affecting such areas as trade, human rights, and military support," Bush said.

Conversely, former Democratic President Bill Clinton, in his final Columbus Day proclamation, said "the encounters between Columbus and other European explorers and the native peoples of the Western Hemisphere also underscore what can happen when cultures clash and when we are unable to understand and respect people who are different from us."

And in his final Columbus Day proclamation, former President George H.W. Bush, a Republican, said "the great encounter that was made possible by Columbus and his crew linked peoples on both sides of the Atlantic in a long and fruitful exchange of knowledge, resources, and ideas that continues to this day."

"Hence, on Columbus Day we celebrate both the rich heritage of America's native peoples and the development of the United States as a Nation of immigrants," the elder Bush said.