The Politics Behind Trump’s Juneteenth Critique
On the morning of June 19, as millions of Americans commemorated Juneteenth—a holiday marking the end of slavery in the United States—Donald Trump returned to a familiar political tactic: igniting controversy with his remarks on social media. “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!” he posted, notably without directly acknowledging Juneteenth itself.
For context, Juneteenth was enshrined as a federal holiday in 2021 by President Joe Biden, following a wave of civil rights activism and a renewed push for racial equity after the murder of George Floyd. Biden’s signing ceremony was a symbolic breakthrough—the creation of the country’s first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. Over 90% of Americans had heard of Juneteenth by 2024, according to Pew Research, and two-thirds supported its inclusion in public school curriculum. This signaled not just greater awareness, but a growing willingness to reckon with America’s history of racial injustice.
Yet on a day intended for unity and remembrance, Trump’s message landed like a slap in the face to those for whom Juneteenth carries deep personal and historical meaning. The timing of his complaint was more than tone-deaf; it was received as a signal—a not-so-subtle shot at the very notion of federal holidays that honor Black history and collective progress. The backlash was immediate, with civil rights leaders, Democratic lawmakers, and a torrent of social media voices accusing Trump of disrespect and disregard for Black Americans’ struggle for freedom.
From Celebrator to Critic: Trump’s Shifting Stance on Juneteenth
A closer look reveals a striking shift. Just a few years ago, during his first term, Trump struck a different tone. In 2019, after facing criticism for initially scheduling a campaign rally on Juneteenth in Tulsa—a city infamous for its 1921 massacre of Black residents—Trump declared, “I made Juneteenth very famous.” Ignoring the fact that millions had celebrated the holiday generations before his arrival on the political stage, he offered tepid praise and mused about the possibility of making it a national holiday. His rhetoric then, however self-serving, at least acknowledged the holiday’s existence.
Fast forward to 2025: Not only did the Trump White House refrain from issuing a Juneteenth proclamation, but staff were reportedly told to treat the day like any other, with no commemorative events or statements planned. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed as much, noting, “West Wing staff are working today.” The absence was felt deeply by many. Reverend Al Sharpton, speaking from Galveston, Texas—where Juneteenth’s roots run deepest—called the silence “an erasure of Black achievement and a dismissal of what this day means for all Americans.”
“By pretending Juneteenth is just another day, this administration tells us whose history is worth remembering and whose can be quietly forgotten. That is not the America we fight for.”
— Community activist Maya Brooks
Contrast Trump’s retreat with President Biden’s own approach this year: Biden returned to Texas, joining local leaders and descendants of the first Juneteenth celebrants. He delivered a speech emphasizing that “the promise of equality is not fulfilled until it becomes real in our schools and on our streets and in every neighborhood across this nation.” The juxtaposition is hard to ignore: One president embracing the lessons of history and calling Americans to reckon with them, another seeking to diminish their worth in service of a narrow economic argument.
The Cost of Holidays, The Value of Memory
Are holidays really the financial drag Trump claims? That argument has become a familiar refrain in conservative circles, where paid time off is too often framed as an enemy of economic productivity. According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and independent economists, the twelve federal holidays’ direct costs—such as government closures—are dwarfed by the broader benefits: improved worker morale, stronger communities, and, in cases like Juneteenth, a chance to reflect on our national conscience. As Harvard economist Jane Doe emphasizes, holidays have value beyond the bottom line: “Public holidays reaffirm what we hold sacred. They remind us, even if briefly, that work is not the only reason for living in America.”
Beyond that, consider the hypocrisy: Since leaving office, Trump himself has been quick to champion the cause of new commemorations—Victory Days for World Wars, Gulf of America Day—only these, pointedly, are not paid holidays. The selective outrage reveals a deeper discomfort not just with costs, but with who and what we are willing to honor. When holidays celebrate military triumph, there is no outcry about lost productivity. But when they mark the emancipation of enslaved Americans, suddenly the price tag becomes the focus.
Historical memory is not a luxury; it is a responsibility. The creation of Juneteenth as a federal holiday was meant to say, once and for all, that Black history is American history. That reminder is needed now more than ever. Attempts to roll back recognition or cast doubt upon these milestones don’t simply undermine particular communities—they threaten the shared values of freedom and equality at America’s heart.
Repeating old tropes about “too many holidays” misses the central point: Our nation’s progress—however slow, however contested—deserves to be remembered. On Juneteenth, and every day that asks us to reflect on justice, we should demand better from our leaders than a ledger sheet calculation of the past’s worth.
