*President Donald Trump sparked controversy with a Truth Social post criticizing Juneteenth, a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
In his post, Trump argued that the nation has an excessive number of “non-working holidays,” which he claimed are detrimental to the economy. “Too many non-working holidays in America. It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed. The workers don’t want it either! 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 wrote.
Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, marks the historic moment on June 19, 1865, when Union Army Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of the Civil War and the freedom of enslaved people, over two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth was officially designated a federal holiday in 2021 under President Joe Biden.
The White House, however, appeared to downplay the significance of the holiday, The Independent reports. During a press briefing on June 19, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt indicated that President Trump was not expected to issue a proclamation acknowledging Juneteenth. “I’m not tracking his signature on a proclamation today,” Leavitt stated, adding, “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.”
Further controversy arose from a report by Rolling Stone, which revealed that the office of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had instructed Pentagon staff to adopt a “passive approach” to Juneteenth observances. According to the outlet, an email from the Pentagon’s Office of the Chief of Public Affairs noted that no Juneteenth-related content would be published on the department’s website.
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A Pentagon official told Rolling Stone that the Defense Department may participate in holiday celebrations only when they “build camaraderie and esprit de corps” or recognize historical events that “inform strategic thinking, reinforce unity, and promote meritocracy and accountability.”
Trump’s remarks and the Pentagon’s reported stance have reignited debates about the recognition of Juneteenth, a holiday that holds deep historical and cultural significance for many Americans, particularly in honoring the legacy of emancipation and the contributions of African Americans.
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