Ron DeSantis Declares Florida Will Take NYC’s Christopher Columbus Statue After Zohran Mamdani’s “Takedown” Promise — Turning Culture-War Flashpoint into Symbol of Patriotism
In a move that ignited another flashpoint in America’s culture wars, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that his state would gladly accept New York City’s famed Christopher Columbus statue if Democratic socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani follows through on his pledge to remove it. Posting on X on October 26, 2025, DeSantis responded directly to Mamdani’s earlier tweet calling for the Manhattan monument’s destruction, saying, “When Mamdani takes down the Columbus statue in Manhattan, we’ll be happy to display it in Florida.” The message quickly went viral, hailed by conservative supporters as another demonstration of DeSantis’s willingness to confront progressive iconoclasm head-on.
The exchange reignited a debate that has simmered since 2020, when statues of Columbus were targeted nationwide during protests over racial injustice and colonial history. Mamdani, a New York State Assembly member representing Queens and a Democratic Socialists of America ally, has long argued that honoring Columbus glorifies conquest and genocide. His 2020 social-media post showing him making a dismissive gesture toward the statue resurfaced this week, intensifying backlash from Italian-American heritage groups and moderates who view the monument as an enduring symbol of cultural identity.
DeSantis’s intervention transforms the controversy into a national stage performance pitting two competing visions of America. For the governor, Florida’s promise to safeguard the statue symbolizes the state’s defense of traditional history, patriotism, and Western heritage. “Florida is a beacon,” he said, echoing the slogan that has become central to his political persona. “We preserve what others try to erase.” His words were amplified by Fox News, Talk Radio hosts, and conservative influencers who praised him for offering Florida as a sanctuary for monuments they say progressive cities are determined to destroy.
Supporters of Mamdani countered that the Columbus statue represents centuries of pain for Indigenous peoples and should be removed from public spaces. They accused DeSantis of political grandstanding, arguing that his gesture was meant to appeal to national Republican voters ahead of 2028 presidential speculation rather than address any real Floridian concern. Yet for many voters watching the culture divide deepen between states like New York and Florida, the moment felt symbolic: one leader seeking to preserve history, another determined to rewrite it.
This latest skirmish comes amid a broader national reckoning over monuments. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, more than 200 Columbus statues have been removed or relocated since 2020, joining a wave of decommissioned memorials to Confederate figures and colonial icons. While liberal cities frame these removals as progress toward inclusion, conservative states increasingly see them as acts of erasure. Florida’s willingness to “adopt” the New York monument encapsulates that ideological split — and DeSantis’s readiness to capitalize on it.
Political analysts note that DeSantis’s message fits neatly into his broader campaign to brand Florida as the nation’s cultural counterweight to blue-state liberalism. In recent months, he has publicly challenged California’s Gavin Newsom, criticized Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson over immigration policy, and positioned himself as a national guardian of heritage against “radical left” politics. The Columbus statue episode, though local in scope, reinforces that framing on a national scale.
As the New York City mayoral race heats up, with Mamdani leading a divided field that now includes Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa, DeSantis’s comments add a new layer of attention to an already polarizing contest. His proposal — half symbolic, half strategic — resonates with voters who feel alienated by what they see as the left’s assault on American tradition. For them, the idea of Florida saving New York’s Columbus statue isn’t just political theater; it’s a statement about where the country’s moral center still stands.