President Donald Trump delivered a lengthy address to Italian‑American leaders in the White House East Room, in which he criticized Democratic‑run cities as “always dirty” and accused them of poor upkeep, citing dismal sidewalks and rampant marijuana odors. He also demanded that Columbus, Ohio, restore a statue of the explorer and claimed that Washington, D.C. had been transformed from a dangerous city to a safe one after his federal law‑enforcement initiative.
Trump asserted that crime had fallen 87 percent due to his crackdown, noting that he had taken temporary control of the D.C. police department last August. He further claimed that National Guard troops stationed in the capital had removed over 5,000 “thugs” from the city, though he offered no details on how the removal was carried out.
The president went on to discuss perceived discrimination against Italian‑Americans, alleging that liberal Hollywood had once barred filmmakers from using Italian names for mobsters. He cited a supposed example in which actors could not use names such as Alphonse Capone or Frank, and claimed that only two films made after the ban had failed.
Trump shifted to a political attack on Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El‑Sayed, falsely accusing him of wanting to abolish Columbus Day and referring to him by an Egyptian name. He also criticized New York City’s ethnic‑neighborhood map for omitting Little Italy, calling the omission a “disgrace” and threatening to withhold federal funds.
In closing, Trump claimed that a statue of Christopher Columbus outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building had “resurrected” the explorer, and he discussed Iran war‑related gas prices, saying fuel costs would drop once the conflict ended and citing a recent diesel import deal with Russia.
