Donald Trump’s administration from day 1 promised to clamp down on what they termed as “woke” ideology and replace it with an ideology that focuses more on unifying the nation instead of sowing division. So to ensure that, the administration has now removed Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth as days when Americans can have free access to national parks and has instead replaced them with Trump’s birthday.
This administration pointed out DEI as the main signifier of “wokeness.” There is little evidence that people in MAGA even understand the etymology of the word woke. In recent years it has evolved into a catch-all term that’s been attributed to progressive policies, and sometimes it has even veered into territory that borders on hostility towards Black people in America. For instance, Halle Bailey’s casting as Ariel in The Little Mermaid was considered somehow woke in said circle.
It might seem far-fetched, but you can’t understand why the Trump administration is devaluing holidays that celebrate Black people’s contribution to American history if you don’t truly understand their animosity towards “woke.” The word is a colloquial term that goes as far back as the 19th Century, but it got introduced into popular culture by Erykah Badu when she uttered “stay woke” in a song to remind Black people to always stay politically conscious in all that they do. Which is not a problem in itself, every demographic and community approaches politics with intentions to improve their situation. Even MAGA.
The issue came in the immediate aftermath of George Floyd’s murder when corporations started saying they would always consider a voice from the community when making decisions. That coincidentally aligned with Trump losing an election to Joe Biden, and since then he has expressed animosity towards wokeness and everything that came about because of it. In a way, they view it as the main adversary to MAGA.
Still, their argument remains that DEI brings along many undeserving individuals into spaces they have not earned. The late Charlie Kirk even claimed that Ketanji Brown Jackson was not deserving of her place in the Supreme Court, despite her education and experience suggesting otherwise. Which brings us back to Trump, even if you don’t believe he is deserving of his role as POTUS, he did win two elections in a democratic manner — so it is technically earned. But so did the abolitionists and civil rights activists.
So if Trump’s birthday is worth a free entrance at a national park and Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy is not worth that same privilege, then what is being said about civil rights? That it was a mistake? That Jim Crow wasn’t even that bad? How about Juneteenth? Is Trump’s birthday more important to American history than the end of slavery?
On X, people didn’t take this news positively. One user asked if there’s a country still even left. Another suggested that Trump might be a little too obsessed with himself. Most users just questioned whether Trump has any empathy left in him.
Hahahaha holy fuck America
— StonerDad
Do you even have a country left?! Hahahahhahahahahahahaha(@StonerDad) December 6, 2025
This dude is so obsessed with himself it’s insane
— Jay (@Jayy_Hardyy252) December 6, 2025
Oh, the irony: Trump, who couldn't spell "empathy" if you spotted him the E-M-P, swaps out days honoring Black liberation for a paean to his own ego. Because nothing says "making America great" like mandatory toasts to the Grifter-in-Chief. Sick indeed.
— Dr. Cole (@1drcole) December 6, 2025
President’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day Weekend, the 110th NPS Birthday, Constitution Day, Theodore Roosevelt’s Birthday, and Veterans Day are all still free days at all national parks nationwide.
