Episode 87: Trump & The Cult of Columbus

It was October 9th, and the orange-tinted manchild sat hunched in the Oval Office, surrounded by his usual circus of bootlickers, propagandists, and professional ass-kissers. Cameras clicked, flags flapped, and the stench of urine, Axe body spray, and fascism filled the room. With a greasy Sharpie and a look of divine idiocy, he scrawled his signature across a proclamation declaring that every second Monday in October would henceforth be Columbus Day—no Indigenous Peoples’ Day, no nuance, no reality. Just Columbus, the original imperial psychopath, reborn as a “true American hero.”

This wasn’t just another PR stunt—it was a calculated howl from the pit of America’s id, another volley in the endless “culture war.” You could almost see the ghost of Joseph Goebbels smiling in the corner, whispering, “Good work, Donald. You’ve weaponized nostalgia.”

Fear not, dear listener, I won’t subject you to the full Trumpian ramble—no one deserves that—but here’s a taste of the Kool-Aid the faithful are drinking:

“Today our Nation honors the legendary Christopher Columbus — the original American hero... a giant of Western civilization... gallant and visionary... yada yada... reclaim his extraordinary legacy from the left-wing arsonists who have sought to destroy his name...”

Barf. Industrial-grade vomit.

Suggested reading:

Bartolomé de las Casas, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies (1552)

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States (2014)

Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States (1980)

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz & Dina Gilio-Whitaker, “All the Real Indians Died Off”: And 20 Other Myths About Native Americans (2016)

U.S. National Archives: “Columbus Day Proclamation, 1937”

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Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmaker. His research covers Mesoamerica, the American Southwest, and the historical connections between the two regions. He is the author of numerous books and has presented lectures at the University of New Mexico, Harvard University, Yale University, San Diego State University, and numerous others. He most recently released his documentary short film "Guardians of the Purple Kingdom," and is a cultural consultant for Nickelodeon Animation Studios.
@kurlytlapoyawa

Ruben Arellano Tlakatekatl is a scholar, activist, and professor of history. His research explores Chicana/Chicano indigeneity, Mexican indigenist nationalism, and Coahuiltecan identity resurgence. Other areas of research include Aztlan (US Southwest), Anawak (Mesoamerica), and Native North America. He has presented and published widely on these topics and has taught courses at various institutions. He currently teaches history at Dallas College – Mountain View Campus.

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