This piece is being posted on Juneteenth 2026. It is important not only to reiterate the history of the holiday but also to remind us of the involvement of our psychopathic President, Donald Trump, in the day – since, as usual, Trump’s involvement is contradictory, disingenuous, and racist. Here we will also examine some of the significant contributions by likely descendants of slaves for which Trump, his family members, his supporters, and his wealthy friends and associates should be grateful (even if they will instead be disparaging or churlish). We, at least, can take a higher road!
The History
It is fairly well known that President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, ostensibly ended slavery in the United States. 
A less well-known fact is that slaves (and others) knew it was coming, and on the eve of that January 1st, Watch Night services took place – “enslaved and free African Americans gathered in churches and private homes all across the country, awaiting news that the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect.” As enslaved people in the Confederate States were declared legally free, Union soldiers spread the word throughout the South by reading the Proclamation in plantations and cities.
With the Civil War raging on, some places such as Texas were still under Confederate control, thereby continuing the institution of slavery. Finally, approximately 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, on June 19, 1865, and made the announcement. Thus were over 250,000 enslaved black Texans freed by executive decree, and “Juneteenth” was born among them.
For millions of African Americans now, “Juneteenth marks our country’s second independence day…. The historical legacy of Juneteenth shows the value of never giving up hope in uncertain times.”
Trump’s Self-Serving Words and Actions
As might be expected from a president who is a known pathological liar and racist, candidate Trump used Juneteenth for crass, self-serving purposes – then effectively ignored the holiday after his 2024 election when it was no longer useful to him.
In Trump’s first term, one would almost be tempted to think positively about his stance. He said such things about Juneteenth in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020:
- There were “soulful festivities and emotional rejoicing” in Galveston when the announcement of freedom was made.
- “Together, we honor the unbreakable spirit and countless contributions of generations of African Americans to the story of American greatness.”
- “Across our country, the contributions of African Americans continue to enrich every facet of American life.”
- “June reminds us of both the unimaginable injustice of slavery and the incomparable joy that must have attended emancipation. It is both a remembrance of a blight on our history and a celebration of our Nation’s unsurpassed ability to triumph over darkness.”
Furthermore, Trump falsely claimed that he had “made Juneteenth very famous” and that no one had heard about it before then (when generations of Black Americans have long celebrated Juneteenth). In campaign rallies late in 2020, Trump promised Black voters that he would make Juneteenth a federal holiday.
When Trump lost the 2020 election (a fact he is denying to this day…) and President Joe Biden signed the holiday legislation in 2021, Trump’s hatred and resentment of Biden came to the fore. Contrary to Biden’s actions supporting his heart and words – issuing Juneteenth proclamations each year, sponsoring large concerts on the South Lawn with Black performers, and speaking at a historic African Methodist Episcopal church in Galveston – Trump honored the holiday in 2025 with silence in all media. Taking his lead, his Administration was dismissive at best. “Asked whether Trump would commemorate Juneteenth in any way, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: ‘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.’”
This year, the crassness and egocentrism continue. Despite Juneteenth being a federal holiday, Trump removed it from the National Park Service’s list of free admission days. Instead, he added Flag Day, June 14, to the list – his 80th birthday. Additional free days added by his order for 2026 are July 3–5 (Independence Day weekend), September 17 (Constitution Day), and October 27 (Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday). 
In addition, Trump’s xenophobia and racism will impact other NPS fees starting in 2026; the fee will no longer be waived for international visitors – just US residents – and international visitors will have to pay both the entrance fee and new nonresident fees.
Compare these to some of the free open days in 2025, which had been set by the Biden-Harris Administration: August 4 (Anniversary of the Great American Outdoor Act), September 27 (National Public Lands Day), and November 11 (Veterans Day). Trump’s choices are both curious and revealing. While Independence Day weekend might make sense in the year of our 250th birthday, it is also ironic given how many freedoms Americans have lost due to Trump’s policies. Constitution Day is also ironic – given how blatantly Trump and his cronies have thumbed their noses at our Constitution. Removing free days in our National Parks on days that honor the outdoors and public lands adds insult to injury. And removing Veterans Day from the list coheres with Trump’s disdain of those who have valiantly served our country.
The removal of Juneteenth from the list of free-access days is a direct attempt at the erasure of the history of our African American sisters and brothers – and goes along with Trump’s total self-involvement, lack of conscience and concern for others, abhorrent disregard for traditional presidential norms and values, and insatiable hunger for power, prestige and fame.
A Gratitude Check
Psychopaths like Trump do not have gratitude toward others as part of their personality; their primary stances toward life include anger, grievance, and vengeance. However, it is important that the rest of us – and perhaps especially independent voters and Americans who might be on the fence about Trump, Democrats, and anti-racist efforts – do recognize some of the ways in which Trump and his family benefit from those whom he is actively disparaging and even injuring.
- The White House. The history is clear that many slaves helped build the White House. Slaves also built most of the US Capitol and many other government buildings. That Trump demolished the East Wing without any authorization – in the service of a supposed glorious ballroom that could cost us taxpayers up to $400 million – was a shock to millions of people around the world.
- McDonald’s. One of Trump’s favorite fast-food places is McDonald’s. McDonald’s hires many people of color, so it is highly likely that Trump has been served by Blacks, and the food he consumes has been made by Blacks. [https://rv-times.com/2024/10/21/mcdonalds-issues-statement-after-trump-campaign-stop-at-pa-location/#google_vignette]
- Trump’s cooks at the White House. “Recent administrations have regularly included Black chefs, military staff cooks, and stewards within the White House kitchen cabinet.”
Blacks serve in the Trump White House. - Trump’s cooks at Mar-a-Lago. Back home in Florida, this also applies: Blacks are included as service workers at his resort. This fact is used to tout Trump’s “kindness” and the lie that he is not racist. [https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/07/ben-carson-trump-racist-112051] But so many other comments and actions over the course of his entire life belie this.
- Trump’s pilots. When Trump, his family and others around him fly in Air Force One, he may have a Black pilot. He literally owes his life to pilots of color, and he should be extremely grateful for their skill and dedication. [https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/10/business/video/pilot-dei-luke-weathers-flight-academy-digvid]
- Trump’s Secret Service protection. Similarly, Trump and other high-level government officials owe their lives to Blacks, including Black women, who lay their lives on the line in the Secret Service. [https://www.chds.us/c/sisterhood-of-the-secret-service/]
In short, most normal people would feel grateful to others who serve them well. Most of us understand that we are all indebted to one another, no matter our gender, skin color, background, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and so on. Most of us appreciate our great multicultural society and want to live peacefully in it.
But not Trump: he has lived his life believing that he has accomplished everything by his own skill, intelligence, and ability to get around the law and escape accountability. With an incredible amount of power as president, he is now almost unfettered to implement programs and policies that hurt people to whom he should feel very indebted. The efforts on the part of Trump and his enablers are intricately tied to Project 2025. This right-wing manifesto has as one of its main goals to “minimize the influence of the federal government [vis-à-vis civil rights], while empowering Bible-educated white Christian families to fill the gap.”
The emergence of Blacks and other people of color in all jobs, professions, endeavors, and opportunities in this country are entirely dependent upon the inclusive efforts that most of us appreciate.
- 13th Amendment: Abolition of slavery
- 14th Amendment: Civil rights
- 15th Amendment: Black suffrage
- 24th Amendment: Poll taxes
- Federal and State laws on affirmative action
The right wing has long maintained that these laws and initiatives somehow diminish the efforts, successes and contributions of white people and/or that make many white people feel bad. Feelings aside, these efforts have been created (legislatively, usually in bipartisan ways) primarily to level the playing field in the face of overwhelming evidence that, historically, straight white males in the US have had enormous advantages over the rest of us. The point of progressive efforts is to enable all of us to succeed and thrive and contribute to the common good. White racists and white nationalists like Trump, Stephen Miller, Thomas Rousseau, Jared Taylor, Christopher Pohlhaus, David Duke, and many others continue to use race and racial epithets to promote the superiority of the white “race;” to advocate for their own nation where they hold power; to argue that “[m]ajority white countries are suffering (economically and culturally) because of non-white immigration and increased civil rights for women, religious minorities, LGBTQIA+ people, and people of color;” to spread antisemitism; and to keep white women under the control of white men, bear many children, and thus increase the white population.
On this Juneteenth, let us not only thank descendants of slaves and other people who continue to be oppressed in this country, almost exclusively because of their skin color; let’s also proclaim loudly and clearly that white nationalism is wrong and dangerous, that law-abiding citizens are all in this together, we all contribute to the common good, and we all deserve a place at the table.