President Donald Trump proclaimed in a publish on his social media web site Monday, Might 5, that there shall be two new holidays, every commemorating the tip of WWI and WWII.
“Everywhere in the World, the Allies are celebrating the Victory we had in World Struggle II. The one Nation that doesn’t have a good time is the US of America, and the Victory was solely completed due to us,” Trump mentioned in the post, referring to Victory in Europe Day on Might 8, which is widely known all through Europe.
“I’m hereby declaring a Nationwide Vacation in celebration of the Victories of World Struggle I, the place the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918, and World Struggle II, the place the Victory date was Might 8, 1945,” he mentioned.
Trump has said previously that he needs to name Might 8 “Victory Day for World War II,” and Nov. 11 as “Victory Day for World Struggle I,” with the latter coinciding with the federally-recognized Veterans Day vacation.
However a publish on Reality Social doesn’t make a federal vacation, nor does a brand new vacation translate into an automated time off. Here is what to know.
Veteran’s Day now not? Trump says he wants to change the holiday’s name
Is Might 8 now a nationwide vacation? Do it’s important to work on Might 8?
Trump promised in his publish that documentation to formally designate the 2 new “Victory” holidays is coming, however warned outright People is not going to be excused from work.
“We is not going to be closing the Nation for these two crucial Holidays, November 11 and Might 8, World Struggle I and World Struggle II, as a result of we have already got too many Holidays in America,” he wrote. “There are usually not sufficient days left within the 12 months. We had been Staff then, and we’re Staff now!”
Might 8 just isn’t a federal vacation in the US, although it’s acknowledged as Victory in Europe Day in a number of European international locations. It marks the interval throughout WWII when Germany surrendered to allied forces − a defeat considerably aided by the involvement of the US and its navy.
Trump mentioned in a publish on Truth Social on May 5, days earlier than the proposed vacation, that the US also needs to have a good time what Europe calls “VE” Day.
A toddler driving piggyback holds a U.S. flag throughout the annual Veteran’s Day Parade in New York Metropolis, U.S., November 11, 2024.
Trump’s fixation on nationwide holidays, new and previous
Trump’s publish this week just isn’t the primary time he has introduced a brand new vacation or a change to an current, federally acknowledged one.
President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Feb. 9 declaring that date the inaugural “Gulf of America Day.”
A map with the Gulf of America written on it’s displayed as President Donald Trump holds a pen on the day he indicators an government order associated to the U.S. dwell leisure ticketing business within the Oval Workplace on the White Home in Washington, D.C., March 31, 2025.
In an April 27 post on Truth Social, Trump mentioned he is “bringing Columbus Day again from the ashes,” referring to the latest step away from celebrating the controversial explorer with a purpose to give attention to Indigenous Individuals’s Day. Former President Joe Biden was the primary president to acknowledged Indigenous Peoples Day in a 2021 proclamation. It falls on the second Monday in October.
What are the 12 federally-recognized holidays?
Federal holidays − together with their names − are created via the legislative course of in Congress. Technically, federal holidays are relevant solely to federal workers and the District of Columbia, which means states individually decide their authorized holidays, in accordance with the Congressional Research Service.
Veterans Day is one in every of 12 federal holidays in 2025, in accordance with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Right here is the complete record of days most federal staff, and lots of People working within the non-public sector, have off:
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Jan. 20: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
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July 4: Independence Day or July Fourth
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Nov. 27: Thanksgiving Day
Contributing: Melina Khan, Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY.
Kathryn Palmer is a trending information reporter for USA TODAY. You’ll be able to attain her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr.
This text initially appeared on USA TODAY: Trump announces new holidays on May 8 and Nov. 11, but don’t skip work
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