The Donald Trump White House has formally declared Leaf Erikson Day to be a national holiday, which will be celebrated for the first time on Friday October 9. Left-wing critics of the President predictably scrambled to countersignal the exciting announcement by labeling it “racist.”
“Accomplished in the face of daunting danger and carried out in service of Judeo-Christian values, Leif Erikson’s story reflects the fundamental truths about the American character,” states the official holiday proclamation on the White House website.
The statement notes, “On Leif Erikson Day, we celebrate Nordic Americans whose firm faith and resolve are woven into the fabric of our Nation, and we commit to continuing our strong diplomatic relationship with Scandinavian nations for years to come.”
An official proclamation from President Trump concludes the statement:
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 9, 2020, as Leif Erikson Day. I call upon all Americans to celebrate the contributions of Nordic Americans to our Nation with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.
Predictably, left-wing activists on social media were quick to complain about the proclamation because Leif Erikson and the Vikings were white.
His hateful racism is showing.
But I feel like most racists don't even know who Leif Erikson is and are still happily celebrating Columbus Day.
If I remember his bio correctly – he or his father used to claim Swedish or Norwegian ancestry to "hide" their German ancestry.
— 🐝Time For a Reckoning💖😷 (@momupdated) October 8, 2020
I’m Norwegian American. Racists like Donald Trump have made it impossible for me or anyone with a shred of self-awareness to celebrate that heritage. It pisses me off that Norse history and culture has been stolen by neo-Nazis and other racists. But that’s where we are.
— (((Swaggy T🇺🇸🌈))) (@Pokes86) October 8, 2020
https://twitter.com/mrkampmann/status/1314360046722187274
Lief Erikson day has apparently been around for like fifty years — never heard of it — but we should ABSOLUTELY be on guard for the weird dog-whistle that is "nordic" contributions to America from our white-supremacist-in-chief#medievaltwitter https://t.co/juiaVs7qcG
— Chris "my aesthetic is anxiety" Halsted (@HalstedMedieval) October 8, 2020
More appeasement and pandering to white supremacists
— StopTheInsanity (@StopTheInsanit8) October 8, 2020
Despite the lamentations from Biden voters on Twitter, the White House’s recognition of Leif Erikson Day has been met with overwhelmingly positive responses from Nordic Americans.
