PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE

Trump Makes May 1 ‘Loyalty Day’

To honor “individual liberties and limited government.”

President Trump wants Americans to celebrate May 1 as Loyalty Day. He is now calling on the nation to observe the holiday to express loyalty to “individual liberties, to limited government, and to the inherent dignity of every human being,” according to a statement sent out by the White House. “The United States stands as the world's leader in upholding the ideals of freedom, equality, and justice. Together, and with these fundamental concepts enshrined in our Constitution, our Nation perseveres in the face of those who would seek to harm it,” the proclamation reads. Trump asked all government and public offices to display the American flag to mark the holiday on May 1, and he called on schools and other public places to hold ceremonies where the Pledge of Allegiance would be recited. Loyalty Day was first made an official holiday in the 1950s, during a time known as the Second Red Scare, when fears of communism and leftism ran rampant. In the 1920s, it was known as Americanization Day. Trump is not the first president to try to breathe new life into the holiday. Former President Barack Obama also proclaimed May 1 as Loyalty Day in 2016.