Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021 under President Joe Biden. Perhaps it won't be a holiday much longer.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump made no declarations about Juneteenth but did post a message on his Truth Social account decrying Americans having too many paid days off. He wrote: "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!"
Trump did honor Juneteenth during his first term as president. In 2018, he issued a message which in part read, "Melania and I send our best wishes to those celebrating Juneteenth. ... As a Nation, we vow to never forget the millions of African Americans who suffered the evils of slavery. Together, we honor the unbreakable spirit and countless contributions of generations of African Americans to the story of American greatness. Today and every day, we recommit ourselves to defending the self-evident truth, boldly declared by our Founding Fathers, that all people are created equal."
Trump repeated a similar message the following year, writing, "Across our country, the contributions of African Americans continue to enrich every facet of American life. This Juneteenth, as we vow always to uphold the God-given rights of all Americans, we pay tribute to the indomitable spirit of African Americans."
And again in 2020, Trump's message included, "This Juneteenth, we commit, as one Nation, to live true to our highest ideals and to build always toward a freer, stronger country that values the dignity and boundless potential of all Americans."
But there was no Juneteenth message this year, other than his social media post.
Earlier in the day, 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."
Asked in a follow-up question whether Trump might recognize the occasion another way or on another day, Leavitt said, "I just answered that question for you."
On Wednesday, Black community leaders from across the country, senior Trump administration officials, and other individuals met at the White House to discuss improving coordination between the leaders and federal, state, and local partners, according to a senior White House official. Housing Secretary Scott Turner and Lynne Patton, director of minority outreach, were among those who attended, said the official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss a private gathering.
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. Their freedom came more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln liberated slaves in the Confederacy by signing the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War.
"I did something good. I made it famous. I made Juneteenth very famous," Trump said in 2020 before holding a rally on June 19. "It's actually an important event, it's an important time. But nobody had heard of it. Very few people have heard of it."
Details from The Associated Press were used in this story.