President Donald Trump defended the Christopher Columbus federal holiday and gave a shout-out to Mother Frances Cabrini during a reception celebrating Italian heritage with Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Wednesday night.

Trump said as long as he’s around, the national holiday honoring the Italian explorer will not be replaced by Indigenous Peoples Day, which Democratic presidential candidates including Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris support. “On Monday, our nation commemorated the legendary achievements of an intrepid Italian explorer: Christopher Columbus,” Trump said to applause during the White House reception.