The White House on October 12: A Defiant Columbus Day Proclamation, Guilfoyle's Job in Doubt, and a Blast at Europe
Columbus Day brought three strands of White House news: a defiant presidential proclamation, the president musing about firing his ambassador to Greece, and a social-media blast at Europe over Russian energy.
First, the Columbus Day proclamation. President Trump signed the proclamation on October 7 declaring October 12 Columbus Day, directing that the U.S. flag be displayed on all public buildings. It calls Columbus “a legend whose vision, fortitude, and perseverance unleashed a dynamic of history that led to the creation of the greatest, freest, and most just Nation in history,” and vows: “We will never allow his legacy to be erased by radical extremists.” It highlights a Columbus statue installed on the White House grounds this year — a replica of the Baltimore statue dedicated by President Reagan in 1984 and toppled into Baltimore Harbor on July 4, 2020. On the day itself, the White House posted a greeting video: “America is back, and so is Columbus Day.” The same day, California Governor Newsom proclaimed October 12 Indigenous Peoples' Day in his state, as did many cities — the two observances now share the date each year.
Second, the ambassador. Departing the White House for a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, Trump acknowledged he is weighing whether to fire Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, over ethics allegations first reported by The Wall Street Journal — that donor Eric Deters says she pressed him to pay her $100,000 American Express bill ahead of her confirmation hearing, and that Greek businessmen paid for her travels. Her lawyer disputes the authenticity of the messages. “Well, we're looking at it. Yeah, we're not happy,” Trump said. A U.S. official said Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are extremely angry and will likely decide her fate this week. GSM first reported the allegations on October 8.
Third, the Europe post. On Monday morning, Trump defended the U.S. decision to import Russian diesel on Truth Social: “The European Union paid Russia 250 Billion Dollars for Energy, and the Fake News Media doesn't want to get near that story. I made the right choice for the American People.” The figure tracks estimates by the Finland-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, which puts European purchases of Russian oil, gas and coal at about $265 billion since the start of the Ukraine war; Russia now supplies about 12% of Europe's gas, down from 45%, and the EU remains the largest buyer of Russian LNG.
Source: White House Columbus Day proclamation; USA Today, the Associated Press and The Times, October 12, 2026.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图片 Image: DJTechYT, The White House June 2024, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
