Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples' Day? Why America can't agree what October 12 represents

Columbus Day or Indigenous People’s Day is one of the few questions that Americans haven’t agreed on since centuries. This year, millions of U.S. citizens will enjoy a federal holiday on Monday, October 12, 2026, but what occasion they observe depends on their location in the U.S.

October 12 is officially Columbus Day at the federal level.

 The U.S. President Donald Trump proclaimed the date Columbus Day last week, continuing a holiday that has been recognised by the federal government for decades.

But across parts of the United States, the same day is known as Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead.

That split has turned the second Monday of October into one of the country’s most complicated holidays.

For supporters of Columbus Day, the occasion is tied to Christopher Columbus’ 1492 voyage and has long held particular importance for Italian-American communities.

For many Native American groups, however, celebrating Columbus ignores what followed European arrival in the Americas, including violence, displacement and the loss of Indigenous lands.

The debate eventually pushed a number of states and cities to change the way they mark the day.

A Pew Research Center review found that 30 states and three US territories recognise Columbus Day in some form, but only 20 states and two territories give state workers a paid holiday for it.

At the same time, 17 states and Washington, D.C., recognise a holiday honouring Native Americans on the second Monday of October. Some observe it alongside Columbus Day, while others have replaced Columbus Day entirely.

The divide also reached the White House in 2021, when then-President Joe Biden became the first US president to formally proclaim Indigenous Peoples’ Day. He still issued a separate Columbus Day proclamation that year.

Trump has taken a different approach since returning to office.

His 2026 proclamation strongly defended Columbus’ legacy and called on Americans to observe October 12 as Columbus Day.