Trump ignores Native people on Columbus Day while campaign touts '1492' sale

Tuesday, October 10, 2017  

President Donald Trump ignored Native Americans as he issued a proclamation for Columbus Day.

The proclamation, issued on Friday, credited Christopher Columbus with the eventual establishment of the United States. It did not mention the tribal nations that were already thriving within its borders, nor the impacts they saw after Europeans arrived to their homelands.

"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," the proclamation read.

Despite forgetting the first Americans, Trump's official campaign arm didn't want supporters to forget Columbus Day. Just two days later, an email announced a sale with a special promotional code: 1492.

“As Leftists push harder and harder to erase our nation's past, there's never been a better time to celebrate our history,” the email read, POLITICO reporter Dan Diamond wrote on Twitter. “That's why we're celebrating Christopher Columbus's legendary voyage to America with an EXCLUSIVE Columbus Day Sale!”

@Harvard students Celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day. @NNNnativenews @NativeVoices @indiancountry @Native_NewsNet @indianz @180099native @CNN pic.twitter.com/XehZT9GsrF

— Maung Nyeu (@M_Nyeu) October 10, 2017

In contrast, then-president Barack Obama, a Democrat, acknowledged Native people in his 2016 Columbus Day proclamation. "The past we share is marked by too many broken promises, as well as violence, deprivation, and disease," he wrote last year.

Like Trump, Republican former president George W. Bush did not acknowledge Native people with his Columbus Day proclamations either. Trump's proclamation and Bush's proclamations are similar in tone and message.

Trump's Columbus Day proclamation was issued early Friday afternoon. A couple of hours later, the White House announced the nomination of Robert Weaver, a citizen of the Quapaw Tribe, to serve as the director of the Indian Health Service.

Read More on the Story:
Trump and the White House don’t acknowledge Native Americans in push not to ‘erase’ Columbus’s legacy (The Washington Post October 9, 2017)
How Donald Trump's Columbus Day proclamation compares to previous presidents (USA Today October 9, 2017)
The Columbus Day holiday is under attack, and so are statues honoring the famed explorer (The Washington Post October 9, 2017)
Columbus Day Has Drawn Protests Almost From Day 1 (The New York Times October 9, 2017)
San Juan College celebrates Indigenous Peoples Day (The Farmington Daily-Times October 9, 2017)
Italian-Americans Proudly Celebrate Columbus Day With Parade (The Associated Press October 9, 2017)
Indigenous Peoples Day? Italians Say Stick With Columbus (The Associated Press October 9, 2017)
Boos and Rain Greet de Blasio at Columbus Day Parade (The New York Times October 9, 2017)
Pittsburgh Christopher Columbus Statue Splashed With Paint (The Associated Press October 10, 2017)
Providence Statue of Columbus Found Vandalized on Holiday (The Associated Press October 9, 2017)

An Opinion:
John M. Viola: Tearing Down Statues of Columbus Also Tears Down My History (The New York Times October 9, 2017)

Albert Bender: Tennessee's capital city takes big step on Indigenous Peoples' Day (October 9, 2017)
The Conversation: How Christopher Columbus was resurrected in United States (October 9, 2017)
Columbus statue in New York City vandalized amid review of 'symbols of hate' (September 13, 2017)
Grand Traverse Band wasn't consulted about ill-timed visit by Christopher Columbus replica ships (August 16, 2017)
Doug George-Kanentiio: Let's name Columbus for what he truly was (April 26, 2017)