President Trump made it by means of Thursday’s workday and not using a single acknowledgment of the federal Juneteenth vacation, although he’d honored it as president years earlier than and even claimed he made it “famous.”
Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when Union troopers knowledgeable enslaved individuals in Texas — the final state to implement slavery — that they’d been emancipated. The Emancipation Proclamation made slavery unlawful in 1863, however the Lone Star State was sluggish to get the message.
Whereas the vacation has been celebrated by Black People for generations, it grew to become extra broadly noticed after President Biden made it a federal vacation in 2021.
However even earlier than it was previously designated, Trump acknowledged Juneteenth yearly throughout his first time period as president. In a 2017 assertion, he provided his “warmest greetings to all those celebrating Juneteenth, a historic day recognizing the end of slavery.”
He even stated in 2020 that he made Juneteenth “famous” after he agreed to not maintain a controversial rally beforehand scheduled for June 19, saying he modified the date out of respect for his Black supporters.
“I did something good. I made it famous,” Trump stated on the time. “It’s actually an important event, it’s an important time. But nobody had heard of it.”
Nevertheless, the primary celebration of Juneteenth throughout Trump’s second time period didn’t seem like a precedence. His Reality Social account posted a number of messages all through the morning and afternoon with out referencing the vacation in any respect.
White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt sidestepped questions on Thursday about Trump not having honored the top of slavery.
“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,” she instructed reporters.
The president entered his second time period following a marketing campaign of extremely charged rhetoric railing towards Variety, Fairness and Inclusion initiatives.
The Nationwide Affiliation for the Development of Coloured Folks (NAACP) introduced on Monday that for the primary time within the group’s 116-year historical past, it could not invite the sitting president to its Nationwide Conference.
Initially Revealed: June 19, 2025 at 7:04 PM EDT
