Soon after Trump took office, legislation was introduced to rename the Dulles International Airport (IAD) near Washington, DC, after President Donald Trump. It wasn’t the worst idea ever, but I thought that renaming Orlando International Airport (MCO) after Trump was a better idea and more likely to succeed. But now, there’s a new push to honor Trump by designating a federal holiday after him. Is this really a good idea?
Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) is proposing that June 14 — already recognized as Flag Day — be officially designated as a federal holiday in honor of Trump.
“No modern president has been more pivotal for our country than Donald J. Trump,” Tenney said in a statement. “As both our 45th and 47th President, he is the most consequential President in modern American history, leading our country at a time of great international and domestic turmoil. From brokering the historic Abraham Accords to championing the largest tax relief package in American history, his impact on the nation is undeniable.”
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She continued, “Just as George Washington’s Birthday is codified as a federal holiday, this bill will add Trump’s Birthday to this list, recognizing him as the founder of America’s Golden Age. Additionally, as our nation prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, we should create a new federal holiday honoring the American Flag and all that it represents. By designating Trump’s Birthday and Flag Day as a federal holiday, we can ensure President Trump’s contributions to American greatness and the importance of the American Flag are forever enshrined into law.”
Look, I’m all for Trump, but I think a federal holiday is going too far, and I’ll explain why.
For one, pushing for a Trump holiday only fuels the perception of him as a cult-like figure. It was cringeworthy when Democrats did it with Barack Obama, and Republicans should hold themselves to a higher standard. It is not unheard of for states to honor former presidents with holidays, but that typically happens posthumously. But Illinois tossed that tradition aside in 2017 when it declared “Barack Obama Day” a state holiday, with the first official observance in 2018.
Barack Obama is the last person who deserves a holiday in his honor. Scandals, failures, and policies that did more harm than good defined his presidency. Rather than celebrating him, his legacy belongs in the ash heap of history.
The obsession with Obama was as cultish as it gets. He was elected largely because of his race, handed a Nobel Peace Prize for no legitimate reason, and reelected despite a disastrous record. His administration oversaw the weakest economic recovery since the Great Depression, doubled the national debt, and funneled billions to Iran. He stood by as ISIS grew into a global threat and even weaponized government agencies to spy on American citizens — including Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign.
There’s nothing worthy of a holiday here — only a cautionary tale. Yet he has been honored by having the scientific names of 14 species named for him, more than 20 schools nationwide, as well as streets, highways, and buildings. Amusingly, there was a mountain named for him in Antigua and Barbuda back in 2009, but it was restored to its original name back in 2016.
If we go down this road of making Trump’s birthday a federal holiday, you can bet Democrats will follow suit. They wouldn’t think twice about pushing for a federal holiday in honor of Obama. Before long, the calendar would be packed with tributes to every cult-like political figure, leaving few days for schools to operate and the post office to stay open.
