President Donald Trump appeared to take aim at Juneteenth as a federal holiday.
On Thursday (June 19), Trump took to his Truth Social platform to share that he believes the U.S. has “too many non-working holidays,” per CBS News.
“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 … working day of the year,” Trump wrote. “It must change if we are going to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
The president’s posts came amid celebrations for Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, informing enslaved people that they were freed two years after Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.
Former President Joe Biden signed a bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021. Since then, most federal and state government offices close on June 19, but private businesses aren’t required to do so, and many retail establishments remain open.
Trump recognized Juneteenth during his first term, calling it “a historic day recognizing the end of slavery” in 2017. In 2020, Trump said he “made Juneteenth very famous” after declining to hold a campaign rally in Oklahoma on the holiday.
When asked on Thursday if the president was commemorating Juneteenth, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “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.”
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