Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) was bashed for his celebration of “Native American Day” rather than Columbus Day.
The decision of what to celebrate on the second Monday of October has been a culture war issue in the United States for decades, reflecting how people see the U.S. and its history. Republicans and conservatives tend to celebrate Columbus Day, viewing it as a traditional celebration of the man who set off the string of events leading to the U.S.’s founding. Democrats and liberals tend to celebrate Native American Day, or Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a day primarily of mourning for the defeat of North America’s first inhabitants.
Despite this typical divide, one of the most powerful Republicans in the country opted to celebrate a commemoration of the Native Americans, drawing the ire of many.
“Today we celebrate Native American Day. I’m proud to join South Dakotans in honoring the heritage and contributions of the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota people,” Thune said in a post on X.
He didn’t post acknowledging or celebrating Columbus Day, an anomaly among Republicans who have been particularly outspoken about celebrating the great Genoan explorer. President Donald Trump has led the efforts, stressing that the holiday represents a reversal of the apologetic approach toward U.S. history taken by his predecessor.
This puts Thune in clear opposition to Trump and the wider mood in the Republican Party, reflected in the overwhelmingly negative comments and reactions to the post citing favor of Columbus Day, even noting Thune as a “traitor.”
In previous years, Thune has been more explicit about rejecting Columbus Day in favor of Native American Day.
“While much of the United States celebrates Columbus Day on the second Monday in October, South Dakotans instead proudly recognize Native American Day, honoring the rich heritage and tribal people of our state. A tradition that began in 1989 when Gov. George Mickelson proclaimed 1990 as the ‘Year of Reconciliation,’ we’ve continued to celebrate Native American Day in lieu of Columbus Day,” he said in a 2019 statement.
Perhaps the most outspoken opponent of Thune’s statement was the Italian American Civil Rights League, viewing it as an attack against Italian Americans.
“The Italian American Civil Rights League condemns Senate Leader John Thune for this racist, insensitive and frankly Anti-Trump post. Today is COLUMBUS DAY only. Stop trying to erase Italian Americans,” it said in a post on X.
“IT’S OUR DAY! COLUMBUS DAY! NEVER let anyone tell you otherwise or make you apologize for your heritage. Thank you to @POTUS for protecting our culture and tradition. The work of the Italian American Civil Rights League has only just begun!” it added in another post.
‘WE’RE BACK, ITALIANS,’ TRUMP PROCLAIMS IN RECOGNITION OF ‘HERO’ CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
The remarks are in line with Trump’s rhetoric around the holiday. He has repeatedly stressed that Democrats are mounting an assault on American history and Italian Americans.
“The Democrats did everything possible to destroy Christopher Columbus, his reputation, and all of the Italians that love him so much,” Trump claimed on Truth Social. “They tore down his Statues, and put up nothing but ‘WOKE,’ or even worse, nothing at all! Well, you’ll be happy to know, Christopher is going to make a major comeback. I am hereby reinstating Columbus Day under the same rules, dates, and locations, as it has had for all of the many decades before!”
