Lawmakers Push to Establish 'President Donald J. Trump Day'

Meanwhile, a move is underway to prevent Trump from being honored on the federal level
By Luke Roney,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 3, 2021 4:51 PM CST
Lawmakers Push to Establish 'President Donald J. Trump Day'
Former President Donald Trump looks out his window as his motorcade drives through West Palm Beach, Fla., on his way to his Mar-a-Lago club.   (Damon Higgins/The Palm Beach Post via AP)

If two Ohio lawmakers have their way, residents of the Buckeye State will celebrate "President Donald J. Trump Day" every June. State Reps. Jon Cross and Reggie Stoltzfus, both Republicans, last week sent a memo to their fellow legislators asking them to co-sponsor a bill that would establish June 14, the former president’s birthday, as an annual state holiday, CNN reports. They wrote that Trump "against great odds, accomplished many great things that have led our nation to unparalleled prosperity," per the Hill, adding that they wanted to show the more than 3.1 million Ohio voters who cast ballots for Trump "that we as a legislature recognize the accomplishments of his administration and that the Ohio House believes it is imperative we set aside a day to celebrate one of the greatest presidents in American history."

The Columbus Dispatch notes that it’s not uncommon for states to commemorate the birthdays of former presidents. But it usually happens after they die (although Illinois did establish Barack Obama Day in 2017). One Ohio Democrat points out that June 14 is Flag Day, a national holiday. "I don't like the idea of changing an existing federal holiday that honors the flag," Rep. Jeff Crossman tells the Dispatch. "I think it's disrespectful." In Washington, DC, there is an effort underway to prevent federal projects, buildings, statues, lands, or "even a park bench" from being named in honor of Trump, the Independent reports. Democratic US Rep. Linda Sanchez doesn’t mention Trump by name in her "No Glory for Hate Act." However, the bill would apply only to former presidents that have been "twice impeached," which narrows the field to Trump. Meanwhile, in Florida, the Frostproof City Council on Monday declared the first week of February to be "Donald J. Trump Week," the first city to make such a move, Fox8 reports. (More Donald Trump stories.)

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