As White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt stated Tuesday, President Trump “has no plans” to issue a proclamation recognizing June as Pride month.
“There are no plans for a proclamation for the month of June,” Leavitt said during a media briefing at the White House, “but I can tell you this president is very proud to be a president for all Americans, regardless of race, religion or creed.”
Trump had refused to issue official statements honoring Pride Month back in his first term, although he briefly mentioned it on social media in 2019 as he praised his administration’s efforts to decriminalize homosexuality worldwide, becoming the first Republican president to do so.
“As we celebrate LGBT Pride Month and recognize the outstanding contributions LGBT people have made to our great Nation, let us also stand in solidarity with the many LGBT people who live in dozens of countries worldwide that punish, imprison, or even execute individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation,” Trump wrote on his social channels six years ago. “My Administration has launched a global campaign to decriminalize homosexuality and invite all nations to join us in this effort!”.
The White House’s new decision comes amid a political climate increasingly hostile to the LGBTQ community.
This week, opponents of LGBTQ+ rights criticized U.S. companies that publicly acknowledged Pride with social media posts or by temporarily changing the colors of their corporate logos to those of the rainbow flag.
A group of Republicans in Congress accused PBS of “grooming” minors after “Sesame Street,” one of the nonprofit television network’s flagship programs, shared a post in honor of Pride Month on Sunday.
“The American family is under relentless attack from a radical leftist agenda that seeks to erase truth, redefine marriage and confuse our children,” said Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.)
Also on Monday, the Department of Education said it would declare June “Title IX Month,” in honor of the 1972 law against sex discrimination that, according to the Trump administration, prohibits transgender women and girls from competing on girls’ school sports teams.
