Actor Robert Picardo, known for playing The Doctor in Star Trek: Voyager suggested that the U.S. should cancel President’s Day over President Donald Trump. According to Picardo, since Trump has supposedly canceled “our justice system,” the national holiday celebrating America’s leaders should go as well.
Picardo took to Blue Sky, a social media platform that many liberals have flocked to in protest of Elon Musk’s X, writing, “Being that papers straws, The Gulf of Mexico and our justice system have been recently cancelled, let’s cancel Presidents’ Day.” The actor sparked a variety of responses in the comments section.
However, conservatives have also engaged in discourse over the nature of President’s Day, arguing that the holiday should really be about celebrating George Washington’s birthday. The U.S. Department of Education posted on Monday, “Presidents’ Day was first established as a federal holiday in 1879 to honor George Washington’s birthday. Today, it’s a celebration of all who have served our country as President of the United States.”
Commentator Casey Mattox posted on X, “It should be George Washington’s Birthday. Not “President’s Day.”” Similarly, another person wrote, “Happy Washington’s Birthday to all who celebrate the real holiday. Happy “Presidents’ Day” to all the participation-trophy people.”
Prominent economic strategist Peter Schiff opined, “Since Trump recognizes the significance of names, why not encourage the nation to drop Presidents’ Day and celebrate the holiday using its official name, George Washington’s Birthday? The Father of our country deserves his own holiday. He shouldn’t have to share it with Biden.”
Responding to criticism about Washington owning slaves, Schiff defended America’s first president. “Washington won the revolutionary war and could have been king. He turned that down. What have you done? Lot’s of people owned slaves worldwide back then. It was common practice for thousands of years. But he freed his slaves in his will. So his opinion on slavery evolved,” he continued.
Another person commented, “But the issue was that then there was Lincoln’s birthday nearby right? So at one point we were celebrating those two birthdays separately and I thought the idea was to combine and call it President’s Day. You’re correct though it shouldn’t be “all” Presidents’ Day, just maybe those two. 🤷♀️”
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The Libertarian Party of Orange County also shed light on the origins of what has become President’s Day. “Presidents’ Day. Diluting history. Lumping all the presidents into one day, when the USA WAS celebrating ONE president, George Washington. There will never be another George Washington. Happy birthday George (2/22/1732) thank you for your service,” the account wrote.
One user wrote last year, “In honor of Washingtons’ Birthday “President’s Day” was just an attempt at eliminating American Exceptionalism and diluting Washingtons role. Without George Washington, there would be no United States of America.” They added, “It’s no wonder that those who hate America are tearing his statues down!”
Echoing this sentiment, another account wrote, “Presidents Day Is a Fraud! Without George Washington there would be no United States. He was the key element in a magical alignment of people, events, places, and history that spawned an exceptional, enduring experiment in self-governance that will mark its own 250th birthday next year.”
Featured image credit: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robert_Picardo_(5977125036).jpg