'Sign me up,' Harris said in 2019 when asked about renaming Columbus Day
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The Trump campaign slammed Vice President Kamala Harris for allegedly wanting to "cancel American traditions," citing her 2019 comments supporting efforts to rename Columbus Day to Indigenous People's Day.
"Kamala Harris is your stereotypical leftist. Not only does she want to raise taxes and defund the police – she also wants to cancel American traditions like Columbus Day," Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt exclusively told Fox News Digital.
"President Trump will make sure Christopher Columbus’ great legacy is honored and protect this holiday from radical leftists who want to erase our nation’s history like Kamala Harris."
Leavitt was referring to Harris’ 2019 comments when she spoke to voters in New Hampshire about a month after launching her ultimately failed 2020 bid for the White House.
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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a church service at Koinonia Christian Center in Greenville, North Carolina, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
"Count me in on support," Harris told a voter when asked if she supports renaming Columbus Day "Indigenous People’s Day," footage of the event shows.
Harris cited recent legislation she helped author that makes lynching a federal crime as she delivered her response to the New Hampshire voter.
"People did not want to deal and accept and most importantly admit that we are the scene of a crime when it comes to what we did with slavery and Jim Crow and institutionalized racism in this country, and we have to be honest about that," she said, the Washington Times reported in 2019. "If we are not honest, we are not going to deal with the vestiges of all of that harm, and we are not going to correct course, and we are not going to be true to our values and morals."
"Similarly, when it comes to indigenous Americans, the indigenous people, there is a lot of work that we still have to do, and I appreciate and applaud your point and your effort, and count me in on support," she said, marking her support of renaming the holiday.
Columbus Day is a federal holiday that officially celebrates and recognizes Italian explorer Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas in 1492. The holiday will be celebrated on Monday this year.
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Portrait of Christopher Columbus, 1519. Found in the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Artist : Piombo, Sebastiano, del (1485-1547). (Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)
Activists in recent years have worked to disassociate the day from Columbus, claiming it celebrates colonialism and genocide of indigenous people, in favor of celebrating Native Americans. Activists have also worked to remove Columbus statues from cities, including toppling such statues during the riots of 2020.
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President Biden was the first president to formally recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2021, but states have taken different approaches to how to celebrate the day.
In 2021, Harris’ first year as vice president, she said that the U.S. "must not shy away" from its "shameful past" of European explorers ushering "in a wave of devastation for tribal nations."
According to a recent New York Times/Siena College poll, former President Donald Trump has a sizable lead with male voters over Vice President Kamala Harris. (AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
"Since 1934, every October the United States has recognized the voyage of the European explorers who first landed on the shores of the Americas," she said. "But that is not the whole story. That has never been the whole story.
"Those explorers ushered in a wave of devastation for tribal nations – perpetrating violence, stealing land, and spreading disease," she said.
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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to the media before boarding Air Force Two after assessing the Hurricane Helene recovery response on Oct. 5, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
"We must not shy away from this shameful past, and we must shed light on it and do everything we can to address the impact of the past on native communities today."
A review of Harris' X account for her vice presidency shows she has exclusively celebrated Indigenous Peoples' Day over Columbus Day each year she has been in the office.
On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we honor Tribal Nations and the invaluable contributions of Indigenous peoples. Their wisdom, ingenuity, and leadership in all walks of life has made our country stronger and more prosperous. https://t.co/k2plUzE7bB
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) October 11, 2021
On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we pay respect to Tribal Nations and indigenous history. Today and every day, let us continue to celebrate and uplift the rich contributions of Indigenous peoples—their leadership has made our country stronger.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) October 10, 2022
For generations, Indigenous people have protected their lands, languages, knowledge, and traditions.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) October 9, 2023
On Indigenous Peoples' Day, we honor these many contributions and recommit to working alongside Indigenous people to ensure their communities thrive for generations to come.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment on her previous statements and Leavitt’s comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
