Donald Trump took to Twitter to officially proclaim Monday as "Columbus Day." As expected, the controversy surrounding the holiday was reflective in the comment section of the president's tweet.

Trump on Twitter

In recent years, society in the United States has drastically shifted, especially when it comes to a variety of social issues. When it comes to Columbus Day, the opposition to the holiday has only increased as the years have moved on. For critics of the holiday, Christopher Columbus represents a history of violence, murder, and rape perpetrated by a white man.

Those same critics want to rename the holiday to "Indigenous Peoples' Day" due to Columbus being wrongly credited for discovering the New World, while the Indigenous People were on the land for centuries. The holiday name change continues to spark debate on both sides of the political spectrum, but Donald Trump appears unwilling to participate in the conversation.

Taking to Twitter on Monday afternoon, Donald Trump confirmed his support for Columbus Day by attaching his official statement on the issue. "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," Trump wrote in his statement.

"President Donald J. Trump Proclaims October 9, 2017, as Columbus Day," the statement and tweet concluded. Following Trump's remarks, those who oppose the commander in chief were quick to fire back in return.

Twitter reacts

Not long after Donald Trump gave his thoughts on Columbus Day, the backlash across social media quickly followed.

"Columbus 'discovers' a land inhabited for thousands of years and Trump 'declares' a holiday observed since 1937," Dave Weasel tweeted out.

"(DT) is celebrating Columbus Day by robbing America of its dignity," a satirical Frederick Douglas account noted.

"Basically Columbus was evil & dumb, & got credit 4 something he never did. If that's not Donald Trump, I don't know what is," Cliff Schecter posted.

"Columbus was the Donald Trump of his time in that he ignored science, took all the credit without knowing what he just did, and hates POCs," an additional tweet read. "Columbus discovered America like (DT) discovered Puerto Rico," Scott Melker noted. The negative reaction continued to pour in as the debate over Columbus Day moved forward.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED