Trump signs executive order declaring Christmas Eve a federal holiday giving government workers full day off
Federal employees were chuffed as President Donald J. Trump gave them a holiday surprise on Friday by signing an order declaring Christmas Eve as a paid day off from work. Those working in government usually expect only a half-day at most.
"All executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed and their employees excused from duty on Thursday, December 24, 2020, the day before Christmas Day," Trump's order states.
That said, not all federal workers will be able to take the day off. “The heads of executive departments and agencies may determine that certain offices and installations of their organizations, or parts thereof, must remain open and that certain employees must report for duty on Dec. 24, 2020, for reasons of national security, defense, or other public need,” the order continues.
It's worth noting that this is the third consecutive year that the president has given government employees an extra day off before Christmas. Last year, he became the first president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to grant the day off on December 24 when Christmas Eve fell on a Tuesday. Trump also gave federal employees the day off in 2018, when Christmas Eve fell on a Monday, according to the Federal News Network.
In comparison, former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton only gave half days on Christmas Eve to federal employees when Christmas fell on a Friday, according to The Sun.
Nonetheless, the former real estate mogul turned politician has always strongly advocated celebrating the holiday with pride, and often alleged that Democrats are waging a "war on Christmas."
Trump echoed the same warning at a Saturday rally in Georgia while stumping for Republican senators in runoff races. “Let me begin by wishing you all a very Merry Christmas. Remember the word?” he told the crowd. “Remember? We started five years ago, and I said, ‘You’re gonna be saying ‘Christmas’ again.’ We say it proudly again. Although they’ll be trying to take that word again out of the vocabulary.”
Trump plans to run again in 2024
At a recent Christmas party at the White House earlier this month, Trump confirmed that he planned to run for the Oval Office again in 2024. “It’s been an amazing four years. We are trying to do another four years. Otherwise, I’ll see you in four years," he told the crowd at the White House Christmas party.
Trump also touted his election fraud claims, saying: "It’s certainly an unusual year. We won an election. But they don’t like that. I call it a rigged election, and I always will."
If Trump makes an announcement of a potential third run in 2024, it could discourage other prominent Republicans to run for the White House in the next election cycle. Republican strategist and GOP presidential campaign veteran Alex Conant told Fox News that an announcement by the president for a 2024 run would "absolutely" change the dynamic of the next White House race.
"Nobody wants to be the first candidate to challenge Trump in 2024," Conant said. "If it were truly an open race, you’d see a lot of potential candidates making some aggressive early moves, going to Iowa, New Hampshire. You would normally see candidates going through the early states before the end of this year."
"2024 candidates don’t want to talk about Donald Trump," he explained. "They want to talk about themselves. But so long as he is making noises about running again, the race will be all about him. And these candidates will be less inclined to do the early state travel because it will all be in the shadow of whether or not Trump runs again."