President Donald Trump's Columbus Day message is a little different from that of his predecessor, with the Republican opting to leave out any mention of Native Americans.
In a Columbus Day message released on Friday that proclaims Monday as the day the U.S. will celebrate the discovery of the Americas, Trump made no metion of the people who suffered as a result of the discovery.
"Five hundred and twenty-five years ago, Christopher Columbus completed an ambitious and daring voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. The voyage was a remarkable and then-unparalleled feat that helped launch the age of exploration and discovery," Trump's message said.
"The permanent arrival of Europeans to the Americas was a transformative event that undeniably and fundamentally changed the course of human history and set the stage for the development of our great Nation. Therefore, on Columbus Day, we honor the skilled navigator and man of faith, whose courageous feat brought together continents and has inspired countless others to pursue their dreams and convictions, even in the face of extreme doubt and tremendous adversity," he added.
The president also paid homage to Spain, which sponsored Columbus' voyage, and to the traveler's native land, now Italy, but failed to make any mention of Native Americans, unlike his predecessor Barack Obama.
In his final Columbus Day proclamation as president, Obama recognized the suffering endured by the Native American people, writing: "Though these early travels expanded the realm of European exploration, to many they also marked a time that forever changed the world for the indigenous peoples of North America."
"Previously unseen disease, devastation, and violence were introduced to their lives, and as we pay tribute to the ways in which Columbus pursued ambitious goals we also recognize the suffering inflicted upon Native Americans and we recommit to strengthening tribal sovereignty and maintaining our strong ties," he added
The Columbus Day holiday has become an increasingly controversial topic, with some Native American descendants arguing the holiday commemorates the genocide of indigenous Americans.
Trump has previously demonstrated his differences from the Obama administration not just in ideology but in such public messages and declarations, including his failure to acknowledge LGBT Pride month, and his criticized reaction to terror attacks on social media.
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