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By Adeola Adeosun
Weekend Night Editor
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The White House issued an official proclamation recognizing Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday evening after President Donald Trump faced criticism for breaking with presidential tradition earlier in the day.
The president had initially failed to issue any statement, proclamation, or participate in activities honoring the late civil rights leader this year, spending the federal holiday at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
The proclamation came hours after the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and other civil rights organizations criticized Trump's silence as a deliberate failure to honor King's legacy.
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The White House replied via email with a link to Trump's proclamation when reached for comment Monday afternoon from Newsweek.
Why It Matters
Trump issued a detailed MLK Day proclamation on January 15, 2021, just days after the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6, emphasizing Dr. King's vision of nonviolence and equality.
Today's proclamation occurs as Trump has made rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs a central priority of his second administration, raising questions about his commitment to honoring the civil rights leader's legacy and broader issues of racial equality.
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What To Know
Throughout the morning and afternoon of January 19, Trump remained silent on the holiday. His only social media post that morning called for voter ID requirements, a measure opposed by civil rights groups who note that racial minorities are more likely to lack state-issued identification. The White House social media accounts posted about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) updates, college football announcements and the president's accomplishments.
The NAACP earlier in the day characterized Trump's lack of recognition as a deliberate "failure" to honor King's legacy. President and CEO Derrick Johnson emphasized the importance of continuing King's work, stating on X that honoring the civil rights leader "requires more than uplifting his contributions to our collective American story. It requires us to write the next chapter. We must ensure the progress he fought for is never erased. We are the keepers of his dream."
Trump's 2026 proclamation said, in part, "Beginning in the 1950s, Dr. King pioneered a movement that would go on to triumphantly reaffirm our national conviction that every man, woman, and child is endowed by their Creator with rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. On August 28, 1963, he stood on the marble steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., to unify millions of voices with his legendary articulation of an immortal truth: The measure of a person is found not in the color of their skin but in the content of their character.
More than 60 years after they were first proclaimed, those mighty words remain embedded in every American heart. Dr. King’s extraordinary resolve stands as an enduring testament to the unstoppable fire of freedom and, tragically, ultimately cost him his life. As President, I am steadfastly committed to ensuring that our country will always be guided by the same principles that Dr. King defended throughout his life and to upholding the timeless truth that our rights are not granted by government but endowed by Almighty God. To honor his legacy, last year, I proudly ordered the declassification of documents related to his assassination — because more than 50 years after his death, his family and the American people deserved the truth."
Previous presidents have acknowledged the holiday through acts of service, memorial celebrations, speeches or wreath-laying ceremonies at King's memorial on the National Mall. President Joe Biden spoke at King's church in 2023, while President George W. Bush participated in volunteer service events and delivered speeches at memorial sites during his tenure. In his January 2021 proclamation, Trump himself encouraged "all Americans to recommit themselves to Dr. King's dream by engaging in acts of service."
Meanwhile, the president signed a proclamation and made visits to lay a wreath at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 2019 and 2020.
The Trump administration recently eliminated Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth from the National Park Service's lineup of fee-free days, adding Trump's birthday, which is also Flag Day, instead. Last year, the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency paused observance of Black History Month under the new administration. Trump's 2025 inauguration created an historic convergence when it coincided with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, though Biden signed the holiday proclamation before leaving office.
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What People Are Saying
NAACP National President Derrick Johnson said in a statement titled, "Trump’s Failure to Issue Any Proclamation, Statement, or Participate in Activities Recognizing Martin Luther King, Jr. Day" before the proclamation was released: “Donald Trump has zero interest in uniting this country or recognizing its history and diversity. Instead, he wants to pit us against each other so that we don’t pay attention to the fact that his net worth has more than doubled while families lose their health care and access to essential services; that private corporations are raking in billions of dollars through ICE’s illegal operations; that tech giants are making trillions on AI while the working class loses their jobs; and that his administration is violating federal law by refusing to release the Epstein Files and to hold pedophiles accountable.”
**Veterans for Responsible Leadership wrote on X earlier Monday: "**Trump doesn't want to celebrate MLK Day because deep down he knows he will never be honored decades into the future. His movement is a dark chapter in US history that will be taught to future generations of what the destruction of morality looks like just like the Confederacy."
Brian Allen, an independent journalist, wrote on X earlier Monday: "Trump didn't even acknowledge MLK Day. No statement. No tribute. Nothing. That's not a mistake. That's the point."
Bernice King, Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter, wrote on X: "At the time he was assassinated, a poll reflected that he was one of the most hated men in the United States. Today, his message has been distorted by many who would have hated him then, but evoke him now to deter justice and truth."
What Happens Next
Trump will be attending the National College Football Championship in Miami later today.
Correction 1/19/26, 9:03 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to correct a reference of Martin Luther King being referred to as Malcom.
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