Has Donald Trump Gotten Rid of Juneteenth? Update on the Federal Holiday

Juneteenth is widely celebrated as the day the last of the enslaved Americans in Texas received word that the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed, freeing them from servitude. It's also known as Freedom Day and Emancipation Day, and it has been around since 1865.

In 2021, then-President Joe Biden signed a piece of bipartisan legislation that would declare June 19 a federal holiday in honor of Juneteenth.

When Donald Trump was elected back into office, he made rolling back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices a major part of his platform. As such, many people are wondering if Trump got rid of Juneteenth.

You can learn more about how the U.S. government recognizes the holiday under the Trump administration below.

Juneteenth has been celebrated since the late 1800s. As such, it's not something anyone can get rid of. And, while Trump's administration may be pulling back the funding used to pay for events surrounding Black History Month and Juneteenth, people are still celebrating these annual traditions as much as they ever have.

That being said, Newsweek notes that several municipalities across the U.S. have opted to cancel their Juneteenth celebrations. As of May 1, 2025, the following cities have called off planned events:

• Indianapolis, Indiana
• Bend, Oregon
• Plano, Illinois

The reasons range from struggling to nail down a location to concerns about safety.

Juneteenth became a federal holiday after a very specific process that included passing both the House of Representatives and the Senate before being signed into law by the president.

There's a similar process for removing a federal holiday. One ABC News affiliate says it's hard to do, mainly because of the pushback from unions and other organizations that would fight to protect the federally sponsored days off.

As such, Juneteenth is still considered a federal holiday. It's one of 11 holidays listed on the FederalPay website, which tracks the federal holidays that non-essential employees are granted each year.

In addition to Juneteenth, the following holidays are recognized by the U.S. government:

• New Year's Day
• Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Washington's Birthday
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Columbus Day
• Veterans Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

Each of these days is protected by federal laws, according to Wikipedia, and they only apply to federal institutions or federally owned properties. While other companies follow this schedule — like banks, the stock market, and schools — they aren't always required to keep to the same schedule set forth by the federal government.

These rules were put into place back in 1870, when Congress first created national holidays.

The very first federal holidays that were created were New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.

As you can see, the tradition of federal holidays (and those who observe them) is a long and complex one. As such, it would be incredibly hard to put an end to any holiday. That being said, attempts to have certain dates removed from the federal calendar, like Columbus Day, have been considered before.