Did Donald Trump abolish MLK day in the U.S?

Executive summary — short, definitive answer: President Donald Trump did not abolish Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday in the United States; multiple contemporaneous analyses and reporting show that while some federal agencies temporarily paused certain DEI‑style observances, official memos and holiday lists confirm MLK Day remained a national holiday, and no legislation or executive action abolished it ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

1. Why the claim landed: a confusing mix of agency memos and headlines

Reporting and analyses show the confusion traces to internal agency directives that paused certain cultural or diversity observances within specific federal agencies, which some outlets amplified into broader claims that a national holiday had been ended. The Defense Intelligence Agency issued guidance pausing events tied to observance programs, and headlines misstated or conflated that administrative pause with a wholesale elimination of federal holidays. The DIA memo explicitly clarified that the pause did not apply to national holidays such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth, removing the factual basis for claims that the federal holiday was abolished ^{[1] [2]}. Sensational headlines from fringe outlets repeated and amplified the misunderstanding without noting the memo’s carveouts ^[2].

2. What the official record shows: holidays, proclamations, and the limits of executive action

Federal holidays in the United States are created or changed through Congressional statute, and executive branch agencies cannot unilaterally eliminate a nationally recognized holiday. Analyses confirm that MLK Day was established as a federal holiday in 1983 and has been observed annually since 1986; no statute repealing that holiday was passed during Trump’s tenure. In practice, President Trump issued MLK Day proclamations recognizing the holiday in multiple years, and federal holiday calendars published for 2025 list Martin Luther King Jr. Day among the twelve federal holidays, underscoring the continuity of its legal status ^{[3] [4] [5]}.

3. How the department-level pause was described and limited

The Defense Intelligence Agency and other federal units implemented memoranda pausing certain diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) observances and programs in response to administration directives; these documents were operational, not legislative, and aimed at internal agency activities. Importantly, those internal pauses were explicitly framed as not affecting nationally established holidays. Reporting from wire services and contemporaneous analyses emphasize that the DIA memo and similar guidance targeted programmatic observances and training, not the legal standing of MLK Day as a federal holiday ^{[1] [2]}.

4. Who amplified the false claim and what agendas were visible

Analysis of the sources shows a mix of motives: some outlets sought clicks with alarmist headlines that conflated agency policy changes with national law, while other commentators displayed ideological motives either to portray the administration as hostile to civil‑rights commemoration or to criticize DEI programs more broadly. For example, a fringe press piece framed the agency pause as an abolition of MLK Day, while political commentary and leaked internal chats from nominees reflected broader cultural and partisan battles over race and remembrance. The reporting and analyses identify both sensationalism and ideological framing as drivers of the false narrative ^{[2] [5]}.

5. Bottom line and how to verify for yourself going forward

The bottom line is clear: there is no evidence that President Trump abolished Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday. Verifiable sources — government holiday calendars, agency memos that explicitly exempt national holidays, and historical legislative records showing MLK Day’s statutory basis — all corroborate that the holiday remained intact. To verify similar claims in the future, consult primary documents: the relevant federal statute, official White House proclamations, and agency memos; the contemporaneous reporting and analyses cited here show the difference between an internal administrative pause and a legally binding repeal ^{[4] [1] [3]}.