President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (AP Photo)
In a message to Italian Americans on Oct. 18, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni defended Columbus Day, the U.S. federal holiday celebrated on the second Monday of October that has stirred controversy. She criticized what she called “woke culture,” saying that efforts to eliminate the holiday undermine the legacy of Italian Americans in the United States.
“I know that there are forces that seek to divide us, to redefine our history, and to tear down our shared traditions. They call it ‘woke culture.’ They seek to cancel our culture. They are wrong,” Meloni said in a video message to this year’s National Italian American Foundation gala dinner.
Echoing recent comments from U.S. President Donald Trump about Columbus Day, the Italian prime minister said, “To try to erase Columbus Day is not just an attack on a statue or a date on the calendar; it is an attempt to erase the foundational history of Italian Americans and to deny their hard-fought place in the tapestry of this nation.”
“We will not let them do it. Columbus Day is here to stay!” she said.
This year’s black-tie dinner marked the 50th anniversary of the foundation, a nonprofit that represents more than 20 million Italian Americans living in the United States.
On Oct. 9, Trump signed a proclamation reinstating Columbus Day as a national holiday to honor the legacy of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus.
“Columbus Day, we’re back, Italians. We love the Italians,” Trump said after signing the proclamation at the White House.
This marked a departure from the approach followed by President Joe Biden, who since 2021 had issued dual proclamations recognizing both Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the second Monday of October.
Trump called Columbus “the original American hero” and “a giant of Western civilization.”
“Outrageously, in recent years, Christopher Columbus has been a prime target of a vicious and merciless campaign to erase our history, slander our heroes, and attack our heritage,” the Oct. 9 proclamation reads.
President Benjamin Harrison first recognized Columbus Day in 1892 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s voyage. That declaration came a year after the mass lynching of 11 Italian Americans in New Orleans, and was also intended to address prejudice and discrimination against Italian immigrants.
In recent years, many states and cities have replaced the holiday with Indigenous Peoples’ Day to honor the native populations impacted by European colonization.
Neither Meloni nor Trump attended the 50th anniversary gala.
At this year’s event, world-renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Entertainment. He performed three songs for the guests, moving some to tears.
Bocelli, 67, visited Trump on Oct. 17 at the White House, where he gave an impromptu performance in the Oval Office, a moment captured on video and shared by Trump’s special assistant.
The gala was co-hosted by Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo and entertainer, actor, and radio host Joe Piscopo. Prominent attendees included Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Former Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), and special envoy Paolo Zampolli.
The evening also honored distinguished Italian and Italian American leaders in business, academia, and science, including John Elkann, chairman of Ferrari and Stellantis.
“Some say the transatlantic bond is weakening but I believe it’s never been stronger,” Elkann said in a speech at the event. “Stellantis has just announced its largest investment ever here in the United States to seize new opportunities for growth and innovation.”
