As a child, I was obsessed with presidents. When I was 6, my parents would summon me downstairs with the adults they were entertaining and have me rattle off all the presidents, in order and including their middle initials. I was proud to show off my knowledge of the presidents.
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Sensing the admiration I had for the presidency, my great-grandmother gave me her yellowed scrapbook of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. She was a long-time Democratic delegate, attending conventions, so she had buttons and flyers, and newspaper articles about FDR. When her mother, my great-great grandmother, turned 100, I was given the letter she received from President Richard M. Nixon.
As a child, I would tell people I was going to be president of the United States. Well, that didn't happen, although I ended up working on Capitol Hill and did meet a couple of presidents along the way.
Today, for many of us, a somber reflection is settling over the nation. Historically, this day, Presidents’ Day, has been a time to honor the legacies of our presidents, celebrating their contributions to the enduring principles of American democracy. Yet this year, the observance feels markedly different, casting a shadow over the traditions we once held dear. And that ominous shadow is Donald Trump, who is anything but a “president.”
With his autocratic bent, today’s holiday no longer stands as a tribute to the leaders who have shaped the country but instead serves as a stark reminder of what we have lost. Last year, when the United States still had a law-abiding, decent leader in President Joe Biden, we unknowingly celebrated our last true Presidents’ Day. Now, under the rule of Trump, we look upon the holiday not with reverence but with mourning.
Established in 1885, Presidents' Day was originally designated to commemorate the birthday of George Washington, the nation's first president. Celebrated on February 22, Washington's actual birth date, it was the first federal holiday to honor an individual American.
In 1971, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act shifted the observance to the third Monday in February, a move intended to provide workers with more three-day weekends. This change also broadened the holiday’s significance, leading many to use it as an occasion to honor all U.S. presidents and their contributions to the country.
Presidents' Day has served as a reminder of the indelible marks left by our nation’s leaders. It was a moment to reflect on those who upheld democracy, safeguarded freedoms, and strengthened the republic. Washington, revered as the “Father of Our Country,” set enduring precedents for the presidency through his commitment to republican ideals and his voluntary relinquishment of power.
Then there’s Abraham Lincoln, who guided the nation through the Civil War, abolishing slavery and redefining the nation’s moral compass. His legacy is immortalized in the Lincoln Memorial, a symbol of unity and freedom.
My great-grandmother loved Roosevelt. He was one of our greatest presidents — she always said the greatest. He led the nation through the Great Depression and World War II, expanding the role of the federal government to protect the welfare of its people. His leadership left an imprint so significant that his memorial in Washington, D.C. ,stands as a tribute to his contributions.
One Republican in the House recently introduced a bill to add Trump's face to Mount Rushmore. Trump wants his face on it. Mount Rushmore itself, a controversial monument to Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Lincoln, represents the principles on which the nation was built to many. These presidents cemented America’s place as a beacon of democracy.
But today, Presidents’ Day feels hollow. Since his inauguration on January 20, Trump has wasted no time in dismantling the pillars of democracy. The erosion of democratic norms has been swift and brutal. He has suggested outlawing political dissent and called for revoking the licenses of media outlets critical of his administration, undermining the foundational principle of free speech.
He has undertaken mass firings of federal employees, including about 17 independent inspectors general, removing critical watchdogs meant to uphold accountability in government. The firings have centralized power in a way that dangerously tips the balance away from the checks and balances that once defined American governance.
In addition to decimating institutional safeguards, Trump has targeted vulnerable communities with a vengeance. His administration has effectively erased protections for transgender Americans, stripping away rights and recognition, leaving them more vulnerable than ever.
He has openly criticized judges and called for their removal when rulings do not align with his agenda, threatening the independence of the judiciary. His attacks on the courts have only emboldened those who see the legal system as an obstacle to raw, unchecked power. Every move he has made in his short time back in office has been another step toward consolidating control, dismantling democracy, and reshaping America into something unrecognizable.
Then there is Trump. He is a monster. He’s inherently selfish. He bullies. He threatens. He’s hell-bent on revenge. He’s corrupt. He’s a criminal. He’s been impeached twice. He’s the antithesis of great. He thinks he belongs on Mount Rushmore…
I find myself today thinking of all the impressionable 6-year-old kids, who, like me, were fascinated by the presidency. Yes, I came of age with Richard Nixon, so my real-world example at the time was less than stellar. But kids today? God help them. Let’s put it this way, only a deranged, bigoted, obtuse selfish fool would keep a scrapbook on Trump.
And so here we are, observing Presidents' Day this year. I do so with a profound sense of loss. My heart has always ached because somewhere along the way, I lost my great-grandmother’s FDR scrapbook. I would give anything to be able to leaf through those pages today.
What was once a celebration of great leaders and their democratic legacies has now become a cold reminder of what could have been. Instead of electing Kamala Harris, a leader who would have upheld the values of the presidency, America chose a dictator. Things would be normal under a President Harris. We’d actually be celebrating today.
The holiday that once honored the champions of democracy is now an eerie echo of the past, a painful relic of a nation that once valued its leaders for their service to the people rather than their service to themselves. Presidents’ Day will no longer be a day of tribute but a day of mourning, marking the moment when America turned away from its founding ideals and into the grip of authoritarianism.
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