{"id":1036181,"date":"2024-06-21T20:30:37","date_gmt":"2024-06-21T20:30:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/?p=1036181"},"modified":"2024-06-21T20:30:38","modified_gmt":"2024-06-21T20:30:38","slug":"dnc-statement-on-trumps-tone-deaf-juneteenth-dog-whistle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/dnc-statement-on-trumps-tone-deaf-juneteenth-dog-whistle\/","title":{"rendered":"DNC Statement on Trump\u2019s Tone-Deaf Juneteenth Dog Whistle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

DNC Director of Outreach Communications Tracy King released the following statement: <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile President Biden and Vice President Harris celebrated Juneteenth as a federal holiday, Trump spent his day yelling into the void<\/a> on Truth Social about Fox News\u2019 editorial board. Moreover, his campaign issued a Juneteenth statement claiming that \u2018light\u2019 will triumph over \u2018darkness,\u2019 once again solidifying his record<\/a> of being completely tone-deaf about Juneteenth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPredictably, many of the MAGA Republicans who voted against recognizing Juneteenth didn\u2019t release statements to celebrate the holiday, even though they did have ample time to do so during their day off (this is unsurprising, considering this is the do-nothing<\/a> House majority.) Instead, several of them spent their day off talking about how to correctly pronounce the name of their constituencies, and disparaging one of the ways to help reduce the racial wealth gap for Black Americans. From making Juneteenth a federal holiday to removing Confederate monuments that honor enslavers, it\u2019s pretty clear that President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Democrats are working to promote Black history while respecting the culture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump\u2019s Juneteenth <\/strong>statement<\/strong><\/a> claiming that \u201clight\u201d will triumph over \u201cdarkness\u201d was an extremely tone-deaf display of how out of touch he and his campaign are. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NewsOne<\/a>: \u201cIt also can\u2019t be ignored that the statement didn\u2019t come from Trump himself and instead was attributed to the \u2018Team Trump Black Media Director.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was in that context that Janiyah Thomas suggested that Juneteenth is a day that should be used in part to \u2018remember that light will always triumph over darkness.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThomas\u2019s full statement, which never actually mentions \u2018Juneteenth\u2019 by name <\/strong>once, follows below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018All slaves are free!\u2019 This was the cry that rang out on June 19th, 1865. The principle of freedom has always been at the foundation of the Republican party. Today, we reflect on how far we have come as a nation and remember that light will always triumph over darkness. With President Trump\u2019s leadership, our party will continue to advance the American dream for all people.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe decision to contrast the words \u2018light\u2019 and \u2018darkness\u2019 in a statement about a federal holiday that\u2019s also referred to as Black Freedom Day and marks the abolition of slavery in the state of Texas could easily be interpreted as the latest example of racist dog-whistling coming from Trump\u2019s camp, what with its track record of racial rhetoric.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several of the House Republicans who voted against making Juneteenth a federal holiday spent their day off ignoring the holiday and instead were found talking about how to correctly pronounce the name of their constituencies and disparaging a policy that would <\/strong>help reduce<\/strong><\/a> the racial wealth gap for Black Americans. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Andy Biggs <\/strong>went on a tweeting spree that didn\u2019t once mention Juneteenth. Instead, he railed against security clearances<\/a> and defended Steve Bannon\u2019s<\/a> criminal case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Thomas Massie<\/strong> spent Juneteenth polling<\/a> his followers on the correct way to pronounce Appalachia:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Tom Tiffany<\/strong> spent Juneteenth railing against<\/a> Joe Biden\u2019s new protections for immigrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Matt Rosendale <\/strong>spent Juneteenth cheering extreme House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good<\/a> on, saying \u201cI hope when all the votes are counted @GoodForCongress prevails!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep Chip Roy <\/strong>spent Juneteenth disparaging<\/a> Biden\u2019s student loan forgiveness plans, which disproportionately help Black Americans<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Reminder: House Republicans had nothing but nonsensical arguments on why they voted against marking the end of enslavement with a federal holiday.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vice<\/a>: \u201cRepublicans\u2019 Worst Excuses for Not Wanting a Juneteenth Federal Holiday\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Ralph Norman<\/a>: \u201cMy statement on Juneteenth vote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cFirst of all, our Independence Day is July 4th. Period. Independence Day celebrates the anniversary of our declared independence from Great Britain, and it\u2019s been that way for 245 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you want to call Juneteenth, for example, Freedom Day or Emancipation Day then fine \u2013 that\u2019s certainly worth considering. But calling it Independence Day is WHOLLY INAPPROPIATE\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo given inflation and the obnoxious growth of the federal government, this means a Juneteenth holiday should easily cost the federal government over a billion dollars Every. Single. Year. in federal payroll & holiday premiums with no offsets!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wichita Falls Times Record News<\/a>: \u201cRep. Ronny Jackson votes against Juneteenth bill\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Rep. Ronny Jackson<\/a>: \u201cJuneteenth is an important part of our history, especially in Texas. I support Texas\u2019 Juneteenth holiday and I support all Americans who celebrate it\u2026 I do not support more days off for federal employees. Many Americans feel like the federal government is not doing a good job for them as it is. For example, over 60 percent of Americans disapprove of Congress\u2019 job performance. I do not know of any other organization that would reward employees with additional days off with that poor of a job evaluation,\u2019 he said in the statement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Thomas Massie<\/a> \u201cThe official name of the holiday is \u2018Juneteenth National Independence Day.\u2019 Bless your heart if you think that name wasn\u2019t chosen to divide this country and diminish the Independence Day we celebrate on July 4.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Chip Roy<\/a> voted against making Juneteenth a federal holiday, but tweeted<\/a> \u201cHappy Juneteenth!\u201d the year before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vice<\/a>: \u201cRep. Chip Roy of Texas said he opposed the bill because it referred to Juneteenth as a day of independence rather than one of emancipation, apparently unaware of who was and wasn\u2019t included in that whole \u2018All men are created equal\u2019 part of the Declaration of Independence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Matt Rosendale<\/a> claimed the holiday is an “effort by the Left to create a day out of whole cloth to celebrate identity politics as part of its larger efforts to make Critical Race Theory the reigning ideology of our country.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NPR<\/a>: \u201c14 House Republicans Voted Against Making Juneteenth A Federal Holiday\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018I voted no because this proposed holiday does not bring us together, it tears us apart,\u2019 Arizona’s [Rep. Paul] Gosar<\/strong> said in a statement following the vote. \u2018I cannot support efforts that furthers racial divisions in this country. We have one Independence Day, and it applies equally to all people of all races.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe did not expand on how a federal holiday commemorating the ending of slavery promotes racial divisions.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

About a week before Juneteenth, the federal holiday marking the end of enslavement in America, nearly every House Republican voted to reinstall a Confederate memorial. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Business Insider<\/a>: \u201cNearly 90% of House Republicans voted to restore a Confederate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHouse Republicans were unsuccessful in their effort to reinstall a Confederate memorial to Arlington National Cemetery after two dozen members joined Democrats in rejecting the measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe amendment was backed by 192 Republicans \u2014 or nearly 90% of the House GOP<\/strong> \u2014 while 24 Republican lawmakers rejected the measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supporters of the amendment included Speaker Mike Johnson <\/strong>of Louisiana, Majority Whip Steve Scalise <\/strong>of Louisiana, and House Republican Conference chair Elise Stefanik<\/strong> of New York.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Missouri secretary of state candidate Valentina Gomez marked Juneteenth by telling Black Americans to \u201cGTFO\u201d of the country.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Newsweek<\/a>: \u201cGomez said in the video posted on June 18 that \u2018black victimization is about to be shoved down our throats\u2019 and that African Americans should instead be \u2018celebrating because they were born in the greatest nation to ever exist.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Here’s a tip; If you don’t like America, kindly, get the f*** out,\u2019 Gomez said.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DNC Director of Outreach Communications Tracy King released the following statement:  \u201cWhile President Biden and Vice President Harris celebrated Juneteenth as a federal holiday, Trump spent his day yelling into the void on Truth Social about Fox News\u2019 editorial board. Moreover, his campaign issued a Juneteenth statement claiming that \u2018light\u2019 will triumph over \u2018darkness,\u2019 once […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":263,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1036181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDNC Statement on Trump\u2019s Tone-Deaf Juneteenth Dog Whistle - Democrats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/dnc-statement-on-trumps-tone-deaf-juneteenth-dog-whistle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Democrats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-06-21T20:30:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-06-21T20:30:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/War-Room-Master-Image.png?w=1024\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Claire DePree\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Claire DePree\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/dnc-statement-on-trumps-tone-deaf-juneteenth-dog-whistle\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/dnc-statement-on-trumps-tone-deaf-juneteenth-dog-whistle\/\",\"name\":\"DNC Statement on Trump\u2019s Tone-Deaf Juneteenth Dog Whistle - 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