No, Donald Trump did not make Juneteenth a federal holiday. President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law on June 17, 2021, adding June 19 as the twelfth federal public holiday. Trump had pledged to do so during his 2020 campaign but left office without acting on it, and while several moves during his second term have reduced the holiday’s visibility inside the federal government, its legal status has not changed.1NPR. Biden Signs Juneteenth Bill Into Law
Who Actually Signed Juneteenth Into Law
The bill that created the holiday was S. 475, sponsored by Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts and co-sponsored by Senator John Cornyn of Texas, paired in the House with H.R. 1320 from Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas. Jackson Lee had been introducing Juneteenth resolutions since 2013 and filed the first-ever standalone bill to make it a federal holiday, H.R. 7232, in June 2020.2Houston Chronicle. Juneteenth: Sheila Jackson Lee’s Legislative History
The Senate passed S. 475 unanimously on June 15, 2021. The House followed the next day, 415 to 14, with all fourteen “no” votes coming from Republicans.3PBS NewsHour. Biden to Sign Bill Making Juneteenth a Federal Holiday4U.S. House of Representatives. Roll Call Vote 170 (S. 475) Biden signed it two days later. It was the first new federal holiday added since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.1NPR. Biden Signs Juneteenth Bill Into Law
Trump’s First-Term Record on Juneteenth
Trump’s 2020 campaign released “The Platinum Plan” on September 25, 2020, a policy platform aimed at Black voters that included a pledge to “make Juneteenth a National Holiday.”5The American Presidency Project. Trump Campaign Press Release: The Platinum Plan6NPR. Trump Woos Black Voters With Platinum Plan for Loans, Juneteenth Pledge The pledge required an act of Congress, and no legislation carrying it out was enacted before he left office in January 2021.
He did issue annual presidential messages recognizing Juneteenth every year from 2017 through 2020. His 2020 message called the day “both a remembrance of a blight on our history and a celebration of our Nation’s unsurpassed ability to triumph over darkness.”7Trump White House Archives. Presidential Message on Juneteenth (2020)
The pledge came several months after a controversy over Trump’s initial decision to hold his first post-pandemic rally on June 19, 2020, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, site of the 1921 Greenwood District massacre. Representative Karen Bass, then chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, called the rally “a slap in the face,” and Trump moved it to June 20, saying the change was made “out of respect for this Holiday.”8NBC News. Trump Faces Backlash Over Rally on Juneteenth9BBC. Trump Moves Tulsa Rally Date In an interview with The Wall Street Journal that week, Trump said he had not known the significance of the date until a Black Secret Service agent informed him, and added, “I did something good: I made Juneteenth very famous.”10Politico. Trump Claims Credit for Making Juneteenth Famous
Can a President Cancel a Federal Holiday?
No. Federal holidays are set by statute at 5 U.S.C. § 6103, which lists all twelve permanent federal public holidays, including Juneteenth National Independence Day. Removing one requires Congress.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 U.S.C. § 6103 – Holidays A Congressional Research Service report notes that federal holiday designations formally apply to federal employees and the District of Columbia; states set their own holidays.12Congressional Research Service. Federal Holidays: Evolution and Application Northeastern University law professor Jeremy Paul said, “Holidays are established by Congress and cannot be revoked just by a president.”13Northeastern University. Juneteenth Federal Holiday: Northeastern Law Expert
What Trump’s Second Term Has Changed
The statute is intact. Several administrative actions since January 2025 have nonetheless reduced Juneteenth’s presence inside the federal government.
National Park Fee-Free Days
In late 2025, the Department of the Interior announced that Juneteenth and Martin Luther King Jr. Day would be removed from the National Park Service’s list of fee-free entry days for 2026. Added in their place were “Flag Day/Trump’s Birthday” (June 14), the Fourth of July weekend, and President Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum described the broader fee changes as a “modernization” effort.14ABC7 News. National Park Service Drops Free Entry on MLK Day, Juneteenth The NAACP called the move “an attempt to erase the legacy of Dr. King, minimize the story of emancipation, and sideline the communities that have fought for generations.”15NAACP. NAACP Condemns Removal of MLK Day and Juneteenth From National Parks Free Days
Agency Observance Bans
On his first day back in office in January 2025, Trump signed an executive order titled “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” banning diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across the federal government.16New York Magazine. Juneteenth Federal Holiday and Trump DEI The Defense Intelligence Agency then issued a memo pausing office events tied to eleven “special observances,” including Juneteenth, MLK Day, Black History Month, LGBTQ Pride Month, and Holocaust Remembrance Day.17CBS News. Pentagon Intelligence Arm DIA Pausing DEI, MLK, Holocaust Remembrance and Other Observations Pentagon and intelligence community guidance said no official work time, resources, or office space could be used for such events, and employees could attend only in an unofficial capacity outside duty hours.18NBC News. Defense Agency Bans Black History Month
A February 2025 Justice Department memo tried to draw a line, saying the anti-DEI orders “do not prohibit educational, cultural, or historical observances — such as Black History Month, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, or similar events — that celebrate diversity, recognize historical contributions, and promote awareness without engaging in exclusion or discrimination.”16New York Magazine. Juneteenth Federal Holiday and Trump DEI In practice, agencies and outside organizations have struggled to apply the distinction, and some observances have been canceled amid the uncertainty.
No 2025 Proclamation
Trump broke from his first-term pattern of issuing annual Juneteenth messages by declining to issue a proclamation for Juneteenth 2025. On June 19, 2025, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said there were “no plans to sign a Juneteenth proclamation” and indicated the administration treated the date as a “normal working day.”19Shreveport Times. Is Juneteenth Still a Federal Holiday That evening, Trump posted on Truth Social: “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!”20Business Insider. Trump: Number of Holidays Must Change
Where the Holiday Stands Now
Juneteenth remains a federal holiday in 2026. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management lists “Juneteenth National Independence Day” among the official federal holidays, and federal employees receive a paid day off.21U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Holidays, Work Schedules, and Pay The U.S. Postal Service closes locations and suspends regular mail delivery on the day.22USPS. USPS Will Be Closed in Observance of Juneteenth All fifty states now recognize Juneteenth in some form, with at least 33 states and the District of Columbia providing a paid day off for most state government workers.23Pew Research Center. More Than Half of States Will Recognize Juneteenth as a Legal Holiday in 2026 Congress has not moved to change the holiday’s status, and the president has no unilateral authority to do so.