PERHAPS nothing has more defined the huge gap between the politics of President Donald Trump and those of his Democrat opponent in the forthcoming election, Joe Biden, than their very different approaches to yesterday, the second Monday in October.

Yesterday was officially Columbus Day, when the USA has a federal holiday in honour of the Italian seafarer who never actually visited the land that is now the United States.

He is honoured for leading the ships that travelled across the Atlantic and discovered the “Americas”, and the Italian communities in the USA particularly venerate the native of Genoa.

Yet a growing number of States are turning Columbus Day into Indigenous People’s Day, in recognition of the fact that Native Americans were in their country many centuries before Columbus.

Trump issued a proclamation praising the Italian-American communities and used the occasion to tackle one of his favourite subjects in recent months, those who have toppled statues and monuments, including those of Columbus.

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The President stated: “Sadly, in recent years, radical activists have sought to undermine Christopher Columbus’s legacy. These extremists seek to replace discussion of his vast contributions with talk of failings, his discoveries with atrocities, and his achievements with transgressions.

“They seek to squash any dissent from their orthodoxy. We must not give in to these tactics or consent to such a bleak view of our history. We must teach future generations about our storied heritage, starting with the protection of monuments to our intrepid heroes like Columbus.”

Former vice-president Biden said he and his wife Jill were proud to celebrate Indigenous People’s Day.

He said: “Our nation has never lived up to our full promise of equality for all – especially not when it comes to the rights of the indigenous people who were here long before ships arrived from Europe. Today, we are seeing again the full consequences of the inequity that has long held back Tribal Nations as this pandemic tears through Native communities at an alarming and disproportionate rate.

“As president, I’ll make tribal sovereignty and upholding our federal trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribal Nations the cornerstones of federal Indian policy. I’ll support self-determination and promote self-governance.”

There’s just three weeks to go.