President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation declaring Monday to be Columbus Day, in an effort to “reclaim” what he called the famed explorer’s “extraordinary legacy of faith, courage, perseverance and virtue.”…

Critics and advocates like Kerri Malloy, a professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies at San José State University, have challenged Columbus Day and Christopher Columbus’ legacy. He says Columbus’ arrival to the Americas “triggered a mass genocide of Indigenous people throughout the Western hemisphere,” which included deadly diseases being spread among them, their land being stolen and being forced into Christianity…

“The proclamation reiterates the American fantasy of Columbus’ voyage as solely a story of discovery and exploration, versus what it really was about — commerce and the exploitation of resources,” said Malloy, the San José State professor. “You can’t tell a story without telling both sides of it.”

Still, the president is encouraging Americans to celebrate Columbus in some way on the holiday and display the U.S. flag on all public buildings.

“This is the president trolling people of color, underrepresented minorities that tend not to vote for his party or candidacy,” said Matthew Fletcher, director of the Indigenous Law and Policy Center at Michigan State University. “My sense is there’s not a massive groundswell in favor of Columbus Day anymore, except, possibly, the Italian Americans.”