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On Juneteenth, US President Donald Trump criticized the growing number of federal holidays, calling them costly "non-working days" that hurt the economy, and pledged to reduce them.
On Juneteenth, President Trump criticized the growing number of federal holidays. (AP Photo)
UPDATED: Jun 20, 2025 06:34 IST
US President Donald Trump on Thursday criticized what he called an excess of “non-working holidays” in the country and vowed to roll them back. His remarks came on Juneteenth, a federal holiday marking the end of slavery in the United States.
“Too many non-working holidays in America. It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “The workers don’t want it either,” he added. “Soon we’ll end up having a holiday for every once working day of the year. It must change if we are going to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump added.
Trump did not participate in any Juneteenth events or celebrations. His comments, posted the same day many federal offices and private employers were closed to observe Juneteenth, drew sharp reactions from critics and supporters. The holiday, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, became a federal holiday in 2021 under Joe Biden.
Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States by commemorating June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas. Their freedom came more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln liberated enslaved people in the Confederacy by signing the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War.
The holiday has been celebrated by Black Americans for generations, but became more widely observed after being designated a federal holiday in 2021 by former president Joe Biden, who was expected to attend an event in Galveston, the holiday's birthplace.
The celebrations come as President Donald Trump’s administration has worked to ban diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, or DEI, in the federal government and remove content about Black American history from federal websites. Trump’s travel ban on visitors from select countries has also led to bitter national debate.
Trump, who once claimed to have “made Juneteenth very famous” during his 2020 campaign, did not attend or acknowledge any celebrations this year. No proclamation or formal statement was issued from his campaign or office.
Pressed on the issue, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: “I’m not tracking his signature on a proclamation today. I know this is a federal holiday. I want to thank all of you for showing up to work. We are certainly here. We’re working 24/7 right now.”
Asked in a follow-up question whether Trump might recognize the occasion another way or on another day, Leavitt said, “I just answered that question for you.”
However, Trump shared statements on his social media site about Iran, the TikTok app, and Fed Chairman Jerome Powell.
Trump honoured Juneteenth in his first four years as president, even before it became a federal holiday.
(With inputs from AP)
Published By:
Aashish Vashistha
Published On:
Jun 20, 2025
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