Monuments stand not just in stone, but in memory—and for years now, America has watched as both have been systematically torn down.

The radical left’s war on our heritage has claimed countless casualties, from founding fathers to frontier pioneers, each erasure chipping away at the bedrock of our national identity. But sometimes, just when the vandals think they’ve won, a leader emerges who refuses to let history be rewritten by the mob.

During the chaos of 2020, Americans watched in horror as statues toppled across the nation. Historical figures who built this country were branded as villains by activists who couldn’t spell “colonialism” without autocorrect. The Biden administration’s response? Rather than defending our heritage, they created new holidays to satisfy the loudest voices in the room, essentially apologizing for America’s very existence.

This cultural surrender reached its peak with the treatment of one particular figure; a man whose courage literally changed the world. For generations, American schoolchildren celebrated his achievement every October, drawing ships and learning about the bravery required to sail into the unknown. Yet by 2021, even his name had become controversial.

That man was Christopher Columbus. And this week, President Trump declared that the days of erasing this American hero are over.

Reclaiming Our Heritage

Standing before his Cabinet on Thursday, Trump signed a proclamation that didn’t just recognize Columbus Day (a federal holiday since 1971)—it reclaimed it. The president’s words cut through years of leftist propaganda with surgical precision.

From ‘Trump’s Columbus Day Proclamation’:

“Today our Nation honors the legendary Christopher Columbus — the original American hero, a giant of Western civilization, and one of the most gallant and visionary men to ever walk the face of the earth.

Outrageously, in recent years, Christopher Columbus has been a prime target of a vicious and merciless campaign to erase our history, slander our heroes, and attack our heritage.”

“Columbus Day—we’re back, Italians!” Trump declared after signing, drawing applause not just from Cabinet members but, remarkably, from members of the press. I’ll admit, watching the press applaud threw me for a loop. You have to love it. While everyone else tiptoes around the woke mob, Trump just… doesn’t.

The contrast with Biden’s approach couldn’t be starker: While Biden issued proclamations for “Indigenous Peoples Day” that barely mentioned Columbus except in shame, Trump’s proclamation calls him what he is: “a true American hero” to whom “every citizen is eternally indebted.”

The Real American Story

Remember when celebrating Columbus Day meant you were just… American? Not a bigot, not a colonizer—just someone who understood that in 1492, a brave navigator changed the course of human history.

This isn’t just about one explorer or one holiday; it’s about whether we’ll allow radical activists to dictate which parts of our history deserve to exist. Columbus wasn’t perfect—no historical figure is. But his achievement set in motion the creation of the greatest nation on Earth, a nation that has done more for human freedom and prosperity than any other.

When Trump says “those days are finally over,” he’s talking about more than statue-toppling. He’s talking about the days when conservatives stayed silent while our heritage burned. He’s talking about the days when we let academia and activists monopolize the narrative of America’s past.

The real courage here isn’t just Columbus sailing into uncharted waters five centuries ago. It’s a president in 2025 willing to sail against the currents of political correctness and declare that American heroes—all of them—deserve honor, not erasure.

That’s the kind of leadership that doesn’t just preserve monuments … and let’s be honest, it’s about time someone showed it. It preserves the very soul of our nation.

Key Takeaways

• Trump’s Columbus Day proclamation directly challenges years of leftist historical revisionism
• The president declared Columbus “the original American hero” while condemning “left-wing arsonists”
• This marks a stark reversal from Biden’s apologetic approach to American heritage
• The move signals broader conservative pushback against cultural erasure campaigns

Sources: The DailyWire, New York Post