Name: How Martin Luther King Jr. Day has changed under Trump
Uploaded: 2026-01-19T21:32:28.394Z
Duration: 2 min 49 s
Description: The U.S. is celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday. Jeanne Theoharis, a professor of political science and history at Brooklyn College, breaks down how the day has changed under the Trump administration.

The U.S. is celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday. Jeanne Theoharis, a professor of political science and history at Brooklyn College, breaks down how the day has changed under the Trump administration.

Washington

Martin Luther King Jr. Day has seen changes in its observance following policy shifts under the Trump administration, including the removal of free admission to national parks on the holiday. In response, some states, such as California, have maintained free access to their parks to honor the day. 

Experts note that the holiday's meaning has evolved, with concerns that it is sometimes used for self-congratulation rather than genuine reflection on King's legacy. Recent developments, such as departures from the DOJ's civil rights section and statements from President Trump, have sparked discussion about the current state of civil rights and the need for renewed activism.

How Martin Luther King Jr. Day has changed under Trump

Hundreds are gathering at Doctor Martin Luther King Junior's Church in Atlanta and in the nation's capital to honor the late civil rights leader. Today's remembrance, though, not getting the same type of recognition it has in the past. Late last year, the Trump administration got rid of admission free days at national parks for both MLK Day and Juneteenth. In response, Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that most California state parks will have free entry today. Gene Theo Harris is a distinguished professor of political science and history at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York. She's also author of King of the North. Martin Luther King Junior's life of struggle outside the South. Thank you for being here. How has the observance of this federal holiday changed since President Reagan signed it into law in 1983? So I think we want to remember why President Reagan, you know, President Reagan ran in 1980 against having a holiday for Martin Luther King. And Reagan changes his position in many ways because he sees it as politically useful for his reelection. And I think that gets us to, in some ways, the ways that the holiday is misused. It's used to make ourselves feel good and feel better, and it's not necessarily used to to really honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, of Coretta Scott King, and what that asks of us today. CBS's Scott McFarlane is reporting multiple prosecutors in the DOJ's civil rights criminal section are leaving their jobs, and it comes after President Trump was quoted in The New York Times earlier this month saying he believes civil protections have hurt white people. How has the narrative around and fight for civil rights changed in recent years? I mean, I think we're seeing a real reversal of some of the gains. I think many people, right, like to think, oh, I would have marched with Dr. King. And I think the question we have to ask ourselves today is what you are doing today against, right, the ways that voting protections, health care, neighbors getting sort of dragged off the street, what are you doing about that, is what you would have been doing in 1963. And so I think we are in a civil rights crisis today, but I think what the holiday asks of us to do is to recommit ourselves not to charity, but to the kind of nonviolent direct action that Dr. King pursued in part because I think we want to remember that Dr. King believed in nonviolent direct action because injustice was too comfortable for too many people. So what are you doing to make injustice uncomfortable today? Professor Jean Theoharis, thank you for joining us.

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