Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert Mock Trump for Complaining on Juneteenth About ‘Too Many Non-Working Holidays': ‘Juneteenth Is a Day of Joy — So Donald Trump Doesn't Like It'
President Trump did not issue any direct public comments about or host any events commemorating Juneteenth, the federal holiday that marks the official end of the United States' enslavement of people. But the president alluded to Juneteenth in a post on social media, claiming that there are 'Too many non-working holidays in America' and that 'It must change if we are going to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!'
Late-night TV hosts skewered Trump's non-observance of the holiday.
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'You might find this hard to believe, from a president who's done more for Blacks than Abraham Lincoln, but Trump is not a fan' of Juneteenth, Jimmy Kimmel said on his ABC show — referring to a comment Trump actually once made.
Said Kimmel, 'If Trump were to acknowledge Juneteenth, he would risk upsetting his not-at-all-racist-and-how-dare-you-say-we-are base. They're like, 'We're the ones who stopped enslaving — they should have a holiday for us!'' About his comment about the U.S. having 'too many non-working holidays,' Kimmel commented: 'Says the guy who just had a birthday parade for himself. Says the guy who has been in office for 150 days and has golfed 37 times that we know of.'
'I don't know, to me, it seems like a holiday that celebrates the end of slavery is one we should all be for,' Kimmel remarked.
Stephen Colbert opened 'The Late Show' on CBS by wishing his audience a happy Juneteenth. 'It's a great day, a day to celebrate freedom,' he said.
Colbert continued, 'Juneteenth is a day of joy — so Donald Trump doesn't like it.' Colbert pointed out that on Trump's first day back in the White House, Jan. 20, the president signed an executive order requiring the elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs across the federal government. In response, the Defense Intelligence Agency ordered a pause of all activities and events related to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Black History Month, Juneteenth, LGBTQ Pride Month, Holocaust Remembrance Day and other 'special observances' to comply with the anti-DEI direction, NBC News reported.
'So [Trump] wants celebrating Juneteenth to be controversial now,' Colbert said. But, he said, 'You cannot stop people from celebrating freedom. You can't make them turn down their joy,' before playing a clip of DJ Snake and Lil John's 'Turn Down for What.'
On Thursday, Trump posted a complaint on Truth Social about there being 'Too many non-working holidays in America.'
'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!' Trump wrote. '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!'
At a White House press briefing Thursday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked if Trump was commemorating Juneteenth in any way. 'I'm not tracking his signature on a proclamation today,' Leavitt said. '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.'
President Biden in 2021 signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, establishing a federal holiday on the date. The holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union Army General Gordon Granger proclaimed freedom from slavery in the state of Texas, nearly two years after Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
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