Martin Luther King Day can be an awkward day for Republicans. Their actions on that day often entail pretending that if King were alive today, he would be a Republican. Some, on the so-called “New Right,” have followed their ideological forebears in denouncing King as a communist, while the late Charlie Kirk was reportedly planning to “discredit” King and the Civil Rights Act.
On Martin Luther King Day on Monday, some noticed that, early in the day, President Donald Trump did do so, but continued to face criticism.
According to the New York Times, Trump “was criticized by civil rights activists for breaking from tradition by failing to recognize Dr. King’s legacy or attending commemorations of the holiday.”
After not attending any MLK Day events, the president issued a proclamation on Monday.
The Trump administration sent their MLK proclamation to the press at 8:15 PM EST.
This was not simply an afterthought. They were shamed into doing something every other president has done for the last 40 years. pic.twitter.com/wCpWgj2x0D
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) January 20, 2026
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“Today, we honor the noble work of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose commitment to justice paved the way to the full realization of the American promise. Inspired by the tenets enshrined in our Declaration of Independence, we proudly renew our pledge to uphold our Nation’s long-cherished principles of liberty, equal justice under the law, and the God‑given dignity of the human person,” the proclamation said.
Trump went on to brag that last year, he “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.”
In that release, per the Times, “there was little of note in these documents and most of Dr. King’s family had opposed their release.”
This #MLKDay, remember my father by:
Amplifying and advocating for the end of state-sanctioned and facilitated violence against Black and Brown immigrants and against people, period.
Speaking up for people who are suffering genocide in Sudan. Palestine, Congo, and other… pic.twitter.com/3XnatzCnN4
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) January 19, 2026
The Times also noted that “Mr. Trump’s M.L.K. Day proclamation was not shared by the White House or the president on their social media accounts, which have posted throughout the day about immigration enforcement actions and the college football championship in Miami, which Mr. Trump was attending on Monday night.”
It called to mind Melania Trump’s memorably low-effort MLK Day post in 2020:
Together we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. #MLKDay pic.twitter.com/Bv6m1ZZtXG
— Melania Trump 45 Archived (@FLOTUS45) January 20, 2020
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library.
