Memorial Day, 2026

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

The greatest fighting force the world has ever known is built upon the extraordinary service of selfless men and women who safeguard our liberty and preserve our way of life.  Since the birth of our Nation nearly 250 years ago, countless souls have lost their lives in this noble and righteous pursuit.  On Memorial Day, we honor these American heroes. 

America endures in strength, power, and prosperity because of the awe-inspiring selflessness and valor of those in uniform willing to lay down their lives in its defense.  From the frozen fields of Valley Forge and the beaches of Normandy to the jungles of Vietnam and the mountains of Afghanistan, the sacrifice across our Armed Forces is the foundation upon which our Republic stands.  Today, we especially remember the 13 members of the Joint Force who have fallen in support of Operation Epic Fury to defend our national security and preserve the blessings of liberty for future generations.  These warfighters lost their lives for freedom’s cause and we will never forget the cost. 

All Americans inherit the glorious gift of liberty that has been purchased with the spilled blood of brave warriors and the tears and heartache of those they left behind.  It is fitting and necessary for our Nation to pause for an annual reminder of the enduring and perilously high cost of freedom, but the immeasurable gravity of what has been sacrificed for the greater good deserves our eternal reverence and unwavering gratitude every day. 

On this solemn day, the First Lady and I ask you to join us in prayer for lasting peace in this volatile world, for the protection of those in harm’s way, and for the grace of Almighty God to comfort all who grieve.   

In honor of all of our fallen heroes, the Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 11, 1950, as amended (36 U.S.C. 116), has requested the President issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe each Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace and designating a period on that day when the people might unite in prayer. The Congress, by Public Law 106–579, has also designated 3:00 p.m. local time on that day as a time for all Americans to observe, in their own way, the National Moment of Remembrance.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Memorial Day, May 25, 2026, as a day of prayer for permanent peace, and I designate the hour beginning in each locality at 11:00 a.m. of that day as a time when people might unite in prayer. I ask all Americans to observe the National Moment of Remembrance beginning at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day. I also request the Governors of the United States and its Territories, and the appropriate officials of all units of government, to direct that on Memorial Day the flag be flown at half-staff until noon on all buildings, grounds, and naval vessels throughout the United States and in all areas under its jurisdiction and control. I also request citizens to display the flag at half-staff from their homes for the customary forenoon period.

​IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-second day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.

                              DONALD J. TRUMP