Trump’s Silence on Juneteenth – A Rejection of History and the Present

On June 19 – the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people in the United States learned of their freedom – the White House remained conspicuously silent. President Donald Trump, who had publicly acknowledged Juneteenth each year during his first term and even once claimed he had “made the holiday very famous,” did not say a single word this year – not in speech, not in writing, not even through his own platform, Truth Social. Instead, he commented that day on topics such as Iran, TikTok, and Jerome Powell. When asked, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt simply stated she had “no information about a proclamation” and that “the President is working 24/7.” She blocked any further questions.

Back in 2017 through 2020, Trump had accompanied Juneteenth with great pathos – speaking of “spiritual joy” in Galveston, the “immeasurable contributions” of Black Americans to the history of the United States, and of the “triumph over darkness.” But under Trump 2.0, this remembrance appears to have no place. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, Trump planned to hold a campaign rally on June 19 of all days – in Tulsa, where in 1921 a white mob burned down the flourishing Black Wall Street and murdered hundreds of Black residents. After massive public backlash, he moved the event by one day and later claimed he had made Juneteenth “famous.” The fact that generations of Black Americans had been celebrating this day long before went deliberately ignored.

Today, Trump’s silence symbolizes a government that not only ignores historic commemorations, but actively works against remembrance and equality. Shortly after the beginning of his second term, Trump signed an executive order banning all diversity, equity, and inclusion programs within the federal workforce – stating that they constituted “illegal and immoral discrimination.” While Joe Biden as President honored Juneteenth with official proclamations, concerts on the South Lawn of the White House, and appearances in Galveston, Trump’s silence does not appear accidental – it is a political statement. Another chapter in a nation that is increasingly turning away from the ideals of its own Constitution.