U.S. Embassy in Türkiye honors Columbus Day’s “spirit of exploration”

The U.S. Embassy in Ankara marked Columbus Day by honoring Christopher Columbus, who crossed the Atlantic in 1492. Ahead of the holiday, which this year falls on the historic Oct. 12 anniversary, President Donald Trump hosted a celebration at the White House.

The U.S. Embassy in Ankara, in a message marking Columbus Day, said Christopher Columbus' historic 1492 voyage across the Atlantic Ocean played an important role in shaping American history. "On this Columbus Day, we honor the spirit of exploration and the historic legacy that has inspired generations," the message said.

Graphics prepared by the embassy recalled that Columbus set sail from Spain in August 1492 with three ships and a crew of about 90, crossed the Atlantic and reached the Bahamas on Oct. 12. Columbus Day, observed on the second Monday of October every year since 1971, falls this year on Oct. 12, the historic anniversary of the voyage.

The U.S. Embassy in Ankara's Columbus Day graphic

Trump hosts a White House celebration

Ahead of the holiday, U.S. President Donald Trump hosted a Columbus Day celebration with Italian American community representatives in the East Room of the White House on Oct. 9. In his proclamation declaring Oct. 12 Columbus Day, Trump stressed that Columbus' 1492 voyage "set in motion the forces that would culminate in the miracle of July 4, 1776."

The embassy's graphic showing Columbus' 1492 voyage and an 1893 "Landing of Columbus" stamp

In his remarks, Trump described Columbus as "perhaps the first Italian American" and noted that the District of Columbia, home to the capital, Washington, was named in his honor. Trump claimed that the "radical left" wanted to abolish Columbus Day.

A statue thrown into the harbor now stands at the White House

Trump also told the story of the Columbus statue in Baltimore. The marble statue in the city's Little Italy neighborhood was pulled down with chains by a group on July 4, 2020, as the George Floyd protests were underway, and its pieces were thrown into the harbor. According to Trump, Italian Americans brought in divers and a crane the next morning and pulled the pieces out of the water. With more than $100,000 raised in donations, a new statue was made using the pieces. "Today, the statue stands on the grounds of the White House," Trump said.

The embassy's "Inspiration for a nation's founding" graphic

The statue, owned by Italian American Organizations United and on loan to the federal government, was placed in March in front of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House. The original statue that was toppled had been unveiled in 1984 by then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples' Day?

The restored Columbus Fountain outside Union Station in Washington (2026)

Columbus Day has long been a subject of debate in the U.S. Influenced by critics who argue that Columbus' arrival on the continent brought colonization and heavy losses to Indigenous peoples, many states and cities began marking the same day as "Indigenous Peoples' Day." Former President Joe Biden in 2021 became the first U.S. president to recognize Indigenous Peoples' Day with an official proclamation. Trump, for his part, had said he would bring Columbus Day "back from the ashes."

The traditional Columbus Day Parade is being held in New York today to mark the holiday. In the capital, Washington, the historic Columbus Fountain in front of Union Station was also restored this year.

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