Despite honoring Juneteenth during each of his first four years as president, Donald Trump did not commemorate it this time, instead complaining that there are “too many non-working holidays”, while his predecessor, Joe Biden, celebrated the occasion at a Black church in Texas.
This time, the president remained silent about a day significant to Black Americans, which marks the end of slavery in the country he now leads again.
“There are too many non-working holidays in the United States. Keeping all these businesses closed is costing our country billions of dollars,” Trump claimed on Truth Social without explicitly mentioning Juneteenth.
“Workers don’t want it either!” he continued. “Soon we’ll have a holiday for every working day of the year. This has to change if we want to make America great again!”
When asked whether Trump would commemorate Juneteenth in any way, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: “I’m not tracking his signature on a proclamation today. I know it’s a federal holiday. I want to thank everyone for coming to work. Without a doubt, we’re here. We’re working 24/7 right now.”
Juneteenth, celebrated every June 19, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and has long been celebrated by Black Americans.
It became the eleventh federal holiday in 2021 with a law signed by then-President Joe Biden. The bill passed with broad bipartisan support, receiving unanimous approval in the Senate and nearly 14 votes in the House of Representatives.
As a result, most federal offices, such as the U.S. Postal Service, remained closed for Juneteenth. Markets like the Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange also did not operate during the holiday.
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