President Donald Trump called out Columbus by name when he demanded that Christopher Columbus' statue "be put back into the heart of Columbus, Ohio," during a speech on Oct. 9.
Trump made the speech a few days ahead of Columbus Day, which is a federal holiday but is celebrated as Indigenous People's Day in the largest city named after the explorer.
Over six years ago, Mayor Andrew Ginther ordered the removal of a Christopher Columbus statue from Columbus City Hall grounds and the controversial monument remains in storage. Columbus State Community College also removed a statue around the same time in 2020. A statue of the explorer
remains on the grounds of the Ohio Statehouse.
"To us, he's a hero," Trump said while speaking about Christopher Columbus in the East Room of the White House.
Trump also touted a Columbus statue he had installed in Washington this year.
Ginther's office was not immediately able to comment on Trump's remarks.
When Ginther had the statue taken down in 2020, he said the city would no longer live in the shadow of the explorer's "ugly past." He has made it clear he doesn't want the statue to return to City Hall grounds.
Christopher Columbus' voyages opened the door to European exploration and colonization of the Americas, but the Spanish monarchy that funded Columbus later stripped him of his titles over brutal treatment of Spanish colonists and Indigenous peoples. To some Italian Americans, honoring Christopher Columbus' accomplishments represents the U.S. embracing Italian Americans, who faced persecution of their own.
The city of Columbus has spent years gathering community feedback on how to respectfully bring back the 22-foot effigy of the Italian explorer that was a gift from the historical figure's birthplace, Genoa, Italy. In a City Hall-backed process, the Reimagining Columbus project spent two years and a $2 million grant to hold community conversations and study the topic before releasing a report in August 2025 that pitched building a new park to house thestatue.
There has been no movement on implementing the park plan, which did not specify a location or how it would be funded.
Jack Conte, a lifelong central Ohio resident, organized multiple Italian-American groups in Columbus to file a lawsuit in federal court against the city in April alleging that the decision to remove the statue discriminated against Italian-Americans and didn't follow due process.
"I want the statue back where it belongs, back where it was, back where the city committed to displaying it," Conte told The Dispatch. "My grandparents and parents took me to see that statue. I took my kids to see it, and I've got grandkids now, and I would love to share that with them in my lifetime."
Conte said the Reimagining Columbus process included community conversations where participants were asked to use crayons and share about their favorite color was offensive and belittling. He said Columbus has never gone through a public government process where community members could weigh in on Ginther's decision.
If city leaders ultimately decide not to display the statue, Conte has asked for the statue to be given to the Piave Club or the original artist's family so it can be displayed again.
The lawsuit also named departments of the federal government as defendants, including the U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ has filed a request to be removed as a defendant and the lawsuit remains pending.
Government and politics reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@dispatch.com. Follow her on X, Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: In Columbus Day speech, Trump says city should restore namesake statue
