OPINION:
President Trump is rubbing the left’s nose in the historical significance of someone they revile: Christopher Columbus.
Columbus made landfall in the Americas in 1492, making him the chief colonist for what followed: the creation of the most successful country on earth. His name sprinkles Google Maps. According to public monument audits, about 130 statues of him adorn public and government complexes.
This riles the left, especially today, with the Democratic Socialists of America putting out a step-by-step blueprint for ending the discovery of America.
The left has knocked down or removed about 40 Christophers, most in the past 10 years, as liberal influencers gained a foothold in social media. A YouGov poll conducted in October 2024 found that only 41% of Democrats have a favorable view of Columbus, compared with 68% of Republicans.
Teachers unions, colleges, pro-Palestinian activists, and the Democratic Party are joining in. Democrats say the DSA, which is really a communist front, is welcome inside their “big tent.”
Despite this, Mr. Trump had the nerve to spend $11 million to clean up and rehydrate the Columbus Memorial Fountain. Christopher stands there, the center of attention at Columbus Circle, a prominent entryway linking Union Station and the Capitol Hill corridor.
He has company: two figures representing the Old and New World. How galling.
For two decades, the foundation lay dry and dirty; the plaza was populated by homeless encampments. That was bad enough. Yet on July 24, 2024, “Free Palestine” marauders attacked Columbus, defacing the monument and spraying “Hamas is Coming” in blood-red paint. They also ripped down the American flag.
Are open borders not wonderful? Who does not want to see Hamas coming?
On May 28, the Trump administration proudly reopened Christopher’s domain.
Look at the ceremony’s international guest list: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the Italian and Spanish ambassadors.
“Columbus Circle is a historic front door to Washington, D.C., and thanks to President Trump, today it is once again ready to welcome the public,” said Mr. Burgum. “This restoration brings new life to one of the capital’s most visible public spaces while preserving an important part of our nation’s history.”
Mr. Trump was not done making sure Christopher Columbus is welcomed in Washington.
A few months before the Union Station ceremony, Mr. Trump, in the middle of the night, erected a marble statue of Columbus at the entrance to the Eisenhower Executive Office building, facing Pennsylvania Avenue and adjacent to the White House.
The 13-foot-high Columbus is on loan from the Italian American Organizations United. Protesters in Baltimore threw the original statue into the Inner Harbor. The White House has provided security fencing.
I assume “Free Palestine,” antifa and the DSA are plotting how to destroy it.
Here are other commonsense projects initiated by Mr. Trump that rub Democrats the wrong way.
Closing the southern border
How will the Democratic Party impose a one-party dictatorship if it cannot continue President Biden’s open border to bring in another 20 million or so unknowns via the Mexican drug cartels? Mr. Trump has blocked murderers, rapists, thieves, gang members, homicidal drivers and future Democratic voters.
Fraud crackdown
Mr. Trump has deployed the FBI and prosecutors to stop crooks who have been stealing billions of taxpayer dollars from Medicare, Medicaid and food stamps. Democrats need those programs to enroll newly arriving illegal immigrants to cement them as part of the party’s base on their way to becoming voters.
Mr. Trump has also disrupted the symbiosis of fraudsters — for example, among the Somali community in Minnesota — and Democratic officeholders who looked the other way in exchange for a voting bloc. Democrats say the system was working perfectly until Mr. Trump came along.
Democrats believe the proper approach for Mr. Trump would have been to dismiss journalists such as Nick Shirley when investigating fraud, as California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office did when mocking his online reports.
The new White House East Wing
Not since President Truman gutted and rebuilt the White House to make it work better has a president knocked down an aged structure and built — at no cost to taxpayers — a ballroom and office space to, well, make it work better.
This has enraged Democrats and their judges. The only remedy is to literally use explosives to blow it up, as Philadelphia District Attorney Lawrence Krasner — whose campaign received millions of dollars from George Soros-backed PACs — fantasized in public remarks. He also pledged to memorialize the destruction by keeping bomb debris on his desk.
I assure you that he does not suffer from Trump derangement syndrome.
Park cleanup
Mr. Trump not only dared to spruce up Christopher Columbus’s fountain, but he also made another landmark look better: Meridian Hill Park.
Google AI described it this way: “Long-neglected cascading fountains and historic grounds underwent major multimillion-dollar restorations, clearing out overgrowth and repairing water features that had been inactive for years.”
Get that? “For years.” In other words, Democratic-run Washington liked the park as it was. Mr. Trump violated home rule.
Whether Democrats gain control of the House of Representatives and impeach Mr. Trump for the statues, parks, fraud fight and a new ballroom is an open question. They believe the cure for TDS is to put him in prison.
• Rowan Scarborough is a columnist with The Washington Times.
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