President Donald Trump has sparked controversy by breaking with a nearly 40-year presidential tradition and failing to issue any official recognition for Martin Luther King Jr Day.
A Stark Departure from Presidential Precedent
The federal holiday, which honours the assassinated civil rights leader Dr Martin Luther King Jr, occurs on the third Monday of January each year. The tradition of presidential proclamations began with Ronald Reagan in November 1983 after he signed the King Holiday Bill into law. Every subsequent president, including Trump during his first term from 2018 to 2021, had marked the occasion.
This year, however, the White House remained silent. The official channels made no mention of the holiday. Instead, President Trump spent Monday at his Mar-a-Lago resort and was due to attend the National College Football Championship in Miami later that evening. His social media activity focused on claims of "rigged elections" and demands for voter ID, with no reference to Dr King.
Rolling Back Initiatives and Shifting Focus
This omission aligns with a broader pattern from the Trump administration regarding civil rights. His administration has rolled back numerous racial justice initiatives across federal agencies, corporations, and universities through executive orders. Furthermore, the National Park Service recently announced it would no longer offer free admission on MLK Day or Juneteenth, another holiday marking the end of slavery. Instead, free entry will be offered on Flag Day and on President Trump's own birthday.
This policy shift drew a sharp rebuke from California Governor Gavin Newsom. "Donald Trump scrapped free entry to National Parks on Martin Luther King Jr Day and replaced it with his own birthday," Newsom stated, announcing that California would offer free entry at over 200 state parks in honour of King. "What more evidence do we need as to what the hell is going on in the United States of America?" he added.
Fierce Criticism from Public and King Family
The president's actions were met with swift condemnation on social media and from the King family. One user on X asked, "Is anyone surprised?" while another declared, "Trump is the complete opposite of Martin Luther King Jr."
In the days leading up to the holiday, members of Dr King's family voiced profound concerns. His son, Martin Luther King III, told Axios there was a "coordinated effort to erase or rewrite parts of American history, especially Black history" since Trump's return to office. Bernice King, Dr King's youngest daughter, emphasised the need for strategic coordination to counter these attacks, urging people to study the methods of the civil rights movement.
The controversy follows recent remarks by Trump, who suggested in an interview with The New York Times that landmark civil rights protections from the 1960s had resulted in white people being treated "very badly." When asked if these laws led to discrimination against white men, Trump replied, "I think that a lot of people were very badly treated. White people were very badly treated."
The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the lack of an MLK Day proclamation.
