--- title: Read Donald Trump's Juneteenth Statement description: President Donald Trump issued a statement marking Juneteenth, the celebration of the end of the Civil War and slavery in Texas. canonical: https://time.com/5315914/donald-trump-juneteenth-statement/ author: Gina Martinez article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-06-19T18:38:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:53:21.629Z article:section: Politics og:title: Read Trump's Statement on Juneteenth og:description: The celebration marks the official end of slavery in Texas og:url: https://time.com/5315914/donald-trump-juneteenth-statement/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc0218447d8353ab8/698853be55a8595db2a8c6b3/150609-civil-war-re-enactor-juneteenth.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Juneteenth Celebration og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Read Trump's Statement on Juneteenth twitter:description: The celebration marks the official end of slavery in Texas twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc0218447d8353ab8/698853be55a8595db2a8c6b3/150609-civil-war-re-enactor-juneteenth.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Read President Trump's Statement on Juneteenth, Celebrating the Official End of Slavery in Texas > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=1d342716-99f5-42a6-8f17-778bf3e8752b&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=1d342716-99f5-42a6-8f17-778bf3e8752b&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=1d342716-99f5-42a6-8f17-778bf3e8752b&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: 'It's Done.' Baltimore Removes Its Confederate Statues After Charlottesville Violence [Watch (HLS stream): 'It's Done.' Baltimore Removes Its Confederate Statues After Charlottesville Violence](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/FEXZq2ez.m3u8) (0:32)  _Published 2017-08-16. Baltimore hauled away its Confederate statues early Wednesday, following the deadly white supremacist rally in Virginia that started over a Robert E. Lee monument_ by [Gina Martinez](https://time.com/author/gina-martinez/) ## Gina Martinez Jun 19, 2018 6:38 PM UTC  Re-enactor Marvin-Alonzo Greer is shown during a Juneteenth celebration at the Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum, June 20, 2014. Re-enactor Marvin-Alonzo Greer is shown during a Juneteenth celebration at the Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum, June 20, 2014. Kent D. Johnson—AP Photo by [Gina Martinez](https://time.com/author/gina-martinez/) ## Gina Martinez Jun 19, 2018 6:38 PM UTC President Donald Trump issued a statement celebrating [Juneteenth](http://time.com/3914574/juneteenth/) – the day slavery ended in Texas. Trump’s statement commemorates the 153rd anniversary of Union Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arriving in Galveston. When he landed on June 19, 1865, Granger declared the end of the Civil War and issued a long-awaited order freeing the remaining enslaved people in Texas. Although President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation signed two years earlier, those to whom it applied depended on the Union Army to enforce the order and free them. In his statement, Trump said Granger’s order was a major step in the nation’s effort to abolish slavery forever. “This historic moment would not have been possible without the courage and sacrifice of the nearly 200,000 former enslaved and free African Americans who fought for liberty alongside more than 2 million Union servicemen,” Trump’s statement read. “These brave individuals fought to defend the God-given rights of those unjustly held in bondage.” In 1997 Congress issued a [joint resolution](https://www.congress.gov/bill/105th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/11/text) commemorating June 19, 1865 as the day on which slavery finally came to an end in the United States. The resolution noted that the observance of Juneteenth – sometimes called black independence day – is “an important and enriching part of our country’s history and heritage.” Despite celebrations and festivals all over the country, Juneteenth is not a federally recognized holiday. Read Trump’s full statement on Juneteenth: --- > “” --- ## Transcript [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [ APPLAUSE ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5315914/donald-trump-juneteenth-statement/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5315914/donald-trump-juneteenth-statement/"},"headline":"Read President Trump's Statement on Juneteenth, Celebrating the Official End of Slavery in Texas","datePublished":"2018-06-19T18:38:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:53:21.629Z","description":"\"This historic moment would not have been possible without the courage and sacrifice of the nearly 200,000 former enslaved and free African Americans who fought for liberty alongside more than 2 million Union servicemen\"","url":"https://time.com/5315914/donald-trump-juneteenth-statement/","keywords":["Donald Trump","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc0218447d8353ab8/698853be55a8595db2a8c6b3/150609-civil-war-re-enactor-juneteenth.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Gina Martinez","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/gina-martinez/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc0218447d8353ab8/698853be55a8595db2a8c6b3/150609-civil-war-re-enactor-juneteenth.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Juneteenth Celebration","caption":"Juneteenth Celebration","creditText":"Kent D. Johnson—AP Photo","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/donald-trump/","name":"Donald Trump"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5315914/donald-trump-juneteenth-statement/","name":"Read President Trump's Statement on Juneteenth, Celebrating the Official End of Slavery in Texas"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"'It's Done.' Baltimore Removes Its Confederate Statues After Charlottesville Violence","description":"Baltimore hauled away its Confederate statues early Wednesday, following the deadly white supremacist rally in Virginia that started over a Robert E. Lee monument","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/FEXZq2ez/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-08-16T17:13:41.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/FEXZq2ez.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5315914/donald-trump-juneteenth-statement/","duration":"PT32S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5315914/donald-trump-juneteenth-statement/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```