Katie Zacharia

Trump: ‘I resurrected Columbus’

From our US edition

Donald Trump set aside some time this morning to pay special attention to the most maligned minority in the country: Italian Americans. In an East Room reception, bookended by songs from – who else – tenor Christopher Macchio, the President paid tribute to Christopher Columbus, declaring, “I resurrected him.” Trump also name-checked “Alphonse Capone,” saying of Italian Americans’ affinity for mobsters, “You have to understand, the Italians, they love it.” Joe Biden was the first president to declare the October federal holiday “Indigenous People’s Day,” in 2021. In case it wasn’t obvious, Trump was eager to strike a contrast. “The radical left communists all hate Christopher Columbus,” he said.

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