A Republican congresswoman has put forward a proposal to designate Donald Trump’s birthday as a public holiday. This initiative, likely to face challenges in Congress, appears aimed at gaining favor with the former president.
Claudia Tenney, a representative from New York’s Finger Lakes region, introduced a bill on Friday that seeks to merge the annual celebration of Flag Day with a new observance for Trump’s birthday on June 14. She argues that the president is “the most consequential … in modern American history.”
“His impact on the nation is undeniable,” said Tenney in a press release. On X, she proposed that Trump’s birthday should receive the same recognition as George Washington’s, whose birthday is celebrated as a federal holiday on the third Monday of February each year.
“Just as George Washington’s birthday is established as a federal holiday, President Trump’s birthday should be honored to recognize him as the architect of America’s Golden Age,” Tenney stated.
In contrast to Washington, who played a pivotal role in securing U.S. independence from Great Britain and became the nation’s first president, Trump made history as the first president to be elected after being convicted of felonies—specifically, 34 counts related to falsifying business records involving hush-money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels shortly before winning the 2016 election.
Many users on X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, which has seen cuts to various federal agencies during the Trump administration, ridiculed Tenney’s proposal. “Is this a joke?” one user questioned.
Citing Trump’s unfulfilled campaign promise to reduce consumer prices if he were re-elected after losing to Joe Biden in 2020, another commenter quipped: “Sure, that will lower my grocery bills.”
Another user remarked, “Surely you have more pressing issues to address. Quit pandering and focus on serving your constituents.”
Tenney’s bill may encounter significant hurdles. Despite the Republican Party currently controlling both Congress and the Oval Office, the precedent for establishing federal holidays has often been stringent.
Moreover, even if her bill passes the House, Republicans lack a sufficient majority in the Senate to advance it without Democratic support, which is unlikely.
This legislation represents yet another effort by Republican lawmakers to elevate Trump’s status beyond his election win in the electoral college in November’s race against former Democratic vice-president Kamala Harris, in which he garnered just under 50% of the popular vote.
Earlier this year, Republican congresswoman Addison McDowell suggested renaming Washington Dulles International Airport in Trump’s honor, while congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna pushed for adding Trump’s likeness to Mount Rushmore alongside Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt.
