Trump issues 2026 Columbus Day proclamation
The president has proclaimed the annual observance for 12 October and repeated a call to display flags on public buildings.
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US President Donald Trump issued a proclamation on 7 October designating Monday 12 October 2026 as Columbus Day. He called on Americans to mark the day with ceremonies and activities and directed that the US flag be displayed on all public buildings. The declaration marks an existing federal public holiday, rather than creating a new one. [1] [3]
In the proclamation, Trump calls Columbus one of history’s greatest heroes and credits his voyage with setting in motion events that led to the founding of the United States. He vows not to allow Columbus’s legacy to be erased by people he calls “radical extremists”. [1]
Federal law places Columbus Day on the second Monday in October and requests an annual presidential proclamation. The federal employee holiday calendar lists 12 October for the 2026 observance. Trump’s 2025 proclamation also called for flags on all public buildings, using the same wording. [2] [3] [4] [5]
The Library of Congress says Columbus met the Taíno in the Bahamas in 1492. It describes a complex society and says the Taíno were close to extinction by 1550, many having died from diseases brought by Spaniards, although Taíno cultural influences endured. [6]
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