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Maddow blog-No longer looking for votes, Trump changes his tune about the Juneteenth holiday
Last edited Fri Jun 20, 2025, 04:23 PM - Edit history (1)
In 2020, the Republican president claimed he "made Juneteenth very famous." In 2025, he didn't bother to acknowledge the national holiday at all.
Trump in 2020, looking for votes: brags about making Juneteenth “very famous,†vows to make it a federal holiday
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-06-20T13:52:58.419Z
Trump in 2025: ignores Juneteenth, complains about Americans having too many holidays www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/no-longer-looking-votes-trump-changes-tune-juneteenth-holiday-rcna214059
Five years ago this week, Donald Trump sat down with The Wall Street Journal and appeared to take credit for public recognition of Juneteenth, which honors the end of slavery in the United States. “I did something good: I made Juneteenth very famous,” the president said, patting himself on the back. “It’s actually an important event, an important time. But nobody had ever heard of it.”....
Five years later, it’s apparently no longer “good.” The New York Times reported:
In the Republican’s first term — before Joe Biden made Juneteenth an official federal holiday in 2021 — the Trump White House issued a proclamation honoring the day every year in mid-June. This year, amid an aggressive partisan campaign against anything that’s even tangentially related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and as the administration takes indefensible steps to bury Black history, the Trump White House couldn’t be bothered to even acknowledge the existence of the holiday......
Or put another way, the president who’s spent an inordinate amount of his second term golfing at Trump-owned properties was annoyed to discover that many Americans failed to work on a national holiday that he used to recognize as important.
As Election Day 2020 approached, Trump unveiled what he labeled the “Platinum Plan” for Black voters, outlining a series of goals for his second term, which included making Juneteenth a federal holiday. But after Biden did what Trump only talked about, the Republican apparently lost interest.
For his part, the former Democratic president delivered Juneteenth remarks at the historic Reedy Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Galveston, Texas. “I don’t come here today to only commemorate the past. I come here because we know the good Lord isn’t done with us yet,” Biden said, adding, “We have work to do. We need to keep pushing America forward.”
These were the kind of comments the incumbent president could've made, but didn't.
Five years later, it’s apparently no longer “good.” The New York Times reported:
Juneteenth, the holiday that marks the end of slavery in the United States, has been celebrated at the White House each June 19 since it was enshrined into law four years ago. But on Thursday, it went unmarked by the president — except for a post on social media in which he said he would get rid of some ‘non-working holidays.’
In the Republican’s first term — before Joe Biden made Juneteenth an official federal holiday in 2021 — the Trump White House issued a proclamation honoring the day every year in mid-June. This year, amid an aggressive partisan campaign against anything that’s even tangentially related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and as the administration takes indefensible steps to bury Black history, the Trump White House couldn’t be bothered to even acknowledge the existence of the holiday......
Or put another way, the president who’s spent an inordinate amount of his second term golfing at Trump-owned properties was annoyed to discover that many Americans failed to work on a national holiday that he used to recognize as important.
As Election Day 2020 approached, Trump unveiled what he labeled the “Platinum Plan” for Black voters, outlining a series of goals for his second term, which included making Juneteenth a federal holiday. But after Biden did what Trump only talked about, the Republican apparently lost interest.
For his part, the former Democratic president delivered Juneteenth remarks at the historic Reedy Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Galveston, Texas. “I don’t come here today to only commemorate the past. I come here because we know the good Lord isn’t done with us yet,” Biden said, adding, “We have work to do. We need to keep pushing America forward.”
These were the kind of comments the incumbent president could've made, but didn't.