Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, 2026

Proclamation 11004 of January 19, 2026

Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, 2026

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

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.

Beginning in the 1950s, Dr. King pioneered a movement
that would go on to triumphantly reaffirm our national
conviction that every man, woman, and child is endowed
by their Creator with rights to life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness. On August 28, 1963, he stood on
the marble steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington,
D.C., to unify millions of voices with his legendary
articulation of an immortal truth: The measure of a
person is found not in the color of their skin but in
the content of their character.

More than 60 years after they were first proclaimed,
those mighty words remain embedded in every American
heart. Dr. King's extraordinary resolve stands as an
enduring testament to the unstoppable fire of freedom
and, tragically, ultimately cost him his life. 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.
To honor his legacy, last year, I 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.

Today, we honor the brave men and women who remain
steadfast in their commitment to law, order, liberty,
and justice for all. 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.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim January 19, 2026, as
the Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday. On this
day, I encourage all Americans to recommit themselves
to Dr. King's dream by engaging in acts of service to
others, to their community, and to our Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
nineteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-six, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.