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Trump Issues Message Marking Christian Feast of the Ascension
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump released a statement commemorating the Feast of the Ascension, noting that it falls 40 days after Easter. The message reaches the millions of Christians in the United States who observe the holy day each year.
May 14, 6:33 PM·1m read1 source
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WASHINGTON, May 14, 2026 — President Trump and first lady Melania Trump joined Christians across the United States and around the world in marking the Feast of the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven.
The presidential message, released by the White House on May 14, 2026, states that the feast occurs 40 days after Easter, when Christians celebrated Jesus rising from the dead. It recalls the biblical account in which Jesus ascended into Heaven after appearing to his disciples following the Resurrection.
The statement affects the estimated 200 million Christians in the United States who belong to denominations that observe the liturgical calendar, including Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and many Protestant groups. The Feast of the Ascension is a holy day of obligation for Roman Catholics in much of the world, though U.S. bishops have transferred its celebration to the following Sunday in many dioceses.
The message changes nothing in law or regulation. It is a nonbinding annual statement issued each year by the president on major religious observances. No effective date applies because the message itself contains no operational requirements.
Downstream, the statement triggers no funding, regulatory deadlines, or mandatory actions by Congress, federal agencies, or courts. Federal offices that coordinate with faith-based organizations may reference the message in routine outreach. Foreign governments whose populations include large Christian communities sometimes note parallel statements from their own leaders, though none are required here.
The White House communications office will archive the text alongside prior religious holiday messages.
This marks the second religious observance message issued by the Trump administration in 2026. The White House released a similar statement for Easter on April 5. Presidents of both parties have issued such messages on the Feast of the Ascension, Christmas, and other major feasts for decades under the long-standing practice of recognizing significant dates in the calendars of major American faiths.
