This story was updated to add new information.
President Donald Trump recognized Jan. 19, 2026 as Martin Luther King Jr. Day through an official proclamation, calling on Americans to “recommit themselves to Dr. King’s dream” after facing criticism from some civil rights groups earlier in the day.
“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,” Trump said in the proclamation.
Trump also noted that his administration released a trove of records surrounding King’s 1968 assassination, though some members of King’s family objected to the move.
Trump’s message differs from previous presidential proclamations marking the holiday, which focused largely on working as a nation to continue to fight for racial justice. Trump’s proclamation avoids talking about imbalances in how Black people are treated in America.
“Today, we honor the brave men and women who remain steadfast in their commitment to law, order, liberty, and justice for all,” Trump said. “We renew our resolve to honor our heritage, reclaim our freedom, and recommit to the truth that America is, was, and forever will be a great Nation.”
Trump’s 2026 proclamation came at the end of the day after criticism from groups like the NAACP that he had not recognized the holiday.
Before the proclamation was released, National President Derrick Johnson said in a statement that “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,” Johnson alleged, going on to criticize the Trump administration’s wide-reaching deportation efforts, its handling of the government’s files on Jeffrey Epstein and more.
Trump spent the day at his Mar-a-Lago estate and attended the National College Football Championship in Miami in the evening.
President Ronald Reagan signed the King Holiday Bill into law on Nov. 2, 1983, thus designating the third Monday in January a federal holiday in observance of the civil rights leader.
All presidents have issued an official proclamation recognizing Martin Luther King Jr. Day since Reagan made it a holiday.
Most presidents, including Trump in his first term, also acknowledged the holiday through acts of service, memorial celebrations, speeches or laying a wreath at the memorial to King on the National Mall.
For example, in 2023 President Joe Biden gave a speech at King’s church. In 2008, then-President George W. Bush spoke at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, DC. In 2007, Bush participated in a day of volunteer service at a local high school.
Trump’s return to the White House on Jan. 20, 2025 was a historic convergence with Inauguration Day coinciding with Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Then-President Joe Biden signed a proclamation before leaving office.
The Trump administration eliminated Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth from the National Park Service’s lineup of fee-free days (and added Trump’s birthday instead.) Last year, the Pentagon paused observance of Black History Month, and Trump has made rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion programs a key priority of his second administration.
Trump marked the holiday honoring King during his first term. Before his inauguration in 2017, he called on Americans to “celebrate all of the many wonderful things that he stood for” shortly before meeting with Martin Luther King III at Trump Tower.
In 2018, he signed an official proclamation, but was criticized for not making a public appearance.
Then in 2019 and 2020, Trump signed a proclamation and made visits to lay a wreath at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC on the holiday. He also signed a proclamation in 2021 before leaving office.