Donald Trump had kept surprisingly silent on this Juneteenth for someone who made sure to address the day every year during the first four years of his Presidency. This year, Trump did not have any speech ready for the holiday like he generally does. However, his silence was followed by something sinister that he posted on Truth Social.
On Thursday evening, the very day that commemorates the end of slavery in America, Trump wrote on Truth Social after a long day of silence, “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!”
This is rather surprising given how Trump previously would never miss an opportunity to talk about this day and even claimed once that it was him who made this day “very famous.”
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was also asked if Trump would be commemorating Juneteenth in any way, to which she replied, “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.”
View this post on Instagram
When she was further asked if the President would celebrate the day in some other way or on some other day, Leavitt said, “I just answered that question for you.” Trump’s silence on this Juneteenth is particularly surprising not only because of his previous speeches on the occasion but also because of the historical significance of the day.
As reported by The Irish Star, “Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States by commemorating June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas.” The day is extremely important since it marks a huge chapter in American history and Trump’s silence followed by his Truth Social post only highlights his disrespect to such an important day.
View this post on Instagram
It was previously mentioned that Trump would be signing a proclamation on this day. However, since he did not even say anything, nothing of that sort happened. The President did not hold any public events on Thursday either but shared his opinions and comments about other things, including the Iran situation.
It now remains to be seen if Trump follows up on his Truth Social comment and sheds more light on what he meant when on the day of Juneteenth he referred to America having a lot of non-working days that affect the country’s economy.
