Trump claims federal holidays cost ‘billions’ as Americans observe Juneteenth

President Donald Trump lamented that there were too many “non-working holidays” on Thursday, as Americans across the country observed Juneteenth.

“Too many non-working holidays in America,” Trump’s Truth Social post read. “It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed.”

The president went on to claim that Americans “don’t want it either!”

“Soon we’ll end up having a holiday for every once working day of the year,” he concluded. “It must change if we are going to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

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Though Trump didn’t explicitly mention Juneteenth, the post was interpreted as a criticism of the day’s federal holiday status. It became a federal holiday under former President Joe Biden in 2021.

Juneteenth commemorates the end of all slavery in the United States. It was first celebrated on June 19, 1866, to mark the abolition of slavery in Texas.

Trump previously recognized Juneteenth in his first presidential administration. In 2019, he said that Juneteenth “has served as an opportunity to celebrate the fundamental truth that all people are created equal and that liberty is a right endowed by our Creator.”

“Across our country, the contributions of African Americans continue to enrich every facet of American life,” Trump’s 2019 statement read. “This Juneteenth, as we vow always to uphold the God-given rights of all Americans, we pay tribute to the indomitable spirit of African Americans.”

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But on Thursday, the White House was silent about the holiday. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that she wasn’t “tracking [Trump’s] signature on a proclamation today,” after she was asked whether Trump would commemorate the holiday.

“I know this is a federal holiday,” Leavitt continued. “I want to thank all of you for showing up to work. We are certainly here, we’re working 24/7 right now.”

Although the holiday has been criticized for being politicized in the past, Juneteenth proponents advocate for it, calling it a patriotic and freedom-loving day of celebration.

In a Fox News op-ed, pastor DeForest Soaries wrote that Juneteenth “should be considered extension of the Fourth of July.”

“Where Independence Day marks the proclamation of our national commitment to ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,’ Juneteenth marks the emancipation that made this founding promise more real than any other act in American history,” Soaries wrote.

“It shows that we have an incredible capacity to self-correct, righting the worst wrongs in our society,” the pastor added.