Nia-Malika Henderson, Columnist

Juneteenth Celebrations Are an Act of Defiance

Trump’s rant about “non-working holidays” on a day commemorating the end of enslavement was loud and clear. But so was the fact that Black Americans won’t be deterred.

June 20, 2025 at 3:18 PM UTC

By Nia-Malika Henderson

Nia-Malika Henderson is a politics and policy columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. A former senior political reporter for CNN and the Washington Post, she has covered politics and campaigns for almost two decades.

The joy is still present.
Photographer: Stephanie Keith/Getty Images North America

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President Donald Trump couldn’t help himself. In the final hours of Juneteenth, the federal holiday commemorating the end of enslavement, he tried to make the event about him and his anti-woke agenda, suggesting that the celebration of freedom among Black Americans was an example of holidays run amok.

"Too many non-working holidays in America. It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed," Trump said late Thursday night on Truth Social without overtly mentioning Juneteenth. “The workers don’t want it either! Soon we’ll end up having a holiday for every one working day of the year. It must change if we are going to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”