By Trendsetter Tribune 
Donald Trump has become the first U.S. president since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established to not issue a proclamation honoring the federal holiday, ending nearly 40 years of uninterrupted presidential recognition. As of publication, no proclamation appears on the White House website, its official social media accounts, or in the Federal Register, where such statements are typically published days in advance.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day was signed into law in 1983 under President Ronald Reagan and first observed in 1986. Every president from Reagan through Joe Biden issued annual proclamations recognizing the holiday. Trump himself followed that tradition during his first term, issuing proclamations each year from 2018 through 2021, making this year’s absence unprecedented.
The omission aligns with a broader pattern from Trump and his movement that has deemphasized federal recognition of civil rights symbols. During his first term, his administration removed MLK Day and Juneteenth as fee-free entry days at national parks, replacing them with alternative dates labeled as “patriotic.” Trump also removed the Martin Luther King Jr. bust from the Oval Office.
Trump’s record has long stood in tension with King’s legacy. In the 1970s, the federal government sued Trump and his father under the Fair Housing Act for alleged discrimination against Black renters. More recently, influential figures aligned with the MAGA movement have openly attacked King’s legacy and questioned civil rights legislation inspired by his activism.
After four decades of consistent presidential recognition, the absence of an MLK Day proclamation represents a clear break from tradition. For critics, it signals not an oversight, but a deliberate political choice that further reshapes how civil rights history is acknowledged at the highest level of government.