By: Fern Sidman

In a solemn and strongly worded proclamation issued on Wednesday, April 24, President Donald J. Trump marked the 2025 Days of Remembrance of Victims of the Holocaust by honoring the six million Jews and millions of other victims slaughtered by the Nazis during World War II. The executive order, released in conjunction with Yom HaShoah—Holocaust Remembrance Day—comes amid heightened concern over antisemitism in the United States and globally, particularly in the wake of the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre in Israel.

In what is being described as one of the most forceful Holocaust remembrance statements by a sitting U.S. president, Trump not only reaffirmed America’s moral obligation to remember the atrocities of the Shoah but also announced a new federal crackdown on antisemitism, particularly targeting educational institutions and resident aliens who violate U.S. laws related to hate crimes and incitement.

President Trump began the proclamation by recalling the horror and magnitude of the Nazi genocide: “We honor the blessed memories of the six million Jewish men, women, and children who were viciously slaughtered by the genocidal Nazi regime and their collaborators—one of the bleakest hours in human history.”

He also paid tribute to other persecuted groups targeted during the Holocaust, including Roma and Sinti peoples, Poles and Slavs, people with disabilities, Soviet prisoners of war, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and individuals persecuted based on sexual orientation—demonstrating a broad historical scope often missing from previous commemorations.

In a nod to both historical resilience and present-day Jewish identity, Trump emphasized the rise of the State of Israel in the aftermath of the Holocaust: “Even in the wake of the Holocaust, a self-determined Jewish homeland rose from the ashes as the modern State of Israel.”

In a significant departure from previous commemorative language, the proclamation ties Holocaust remembrance to contemporary antisemitic threats, referencing the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel, which left more than 1,200 Israelis dead and hundreds kidnapped.

“Sadly, our Nation has borne witness to the worst outbreak of antisemitism on American soil in generations,” the president wrote. “Nearly every day following the deadly October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Jewish Americans were threatened on our streets and in our public square—a reminder that the poison of antisemitism tragically still exists.”

Trump then made a direct policy pivot, announcing an executive directive that instructs the entire federal government to utilize all legal tools available to combat antisemitism in the United States, especially within educational institutions.

In one of the most notable elements of the order, Trump unveiled an aggressive initiative that includes legal action against colleges and universities found to enable antisemitic harassment or discrimination, particularly those described as “leftist” and “anti-American,” expulsion of resident aliens found to have violated U.S. laws through antisemitic behavior, including incitement, violence, and public intimidation of Jewish individuals or groups and prioritization of antisemitism-related cases by federal law enforcement agencies and the Department of Justice.

“As President, I signed an Executive Order directing the Federal Government to use all available and appropriate legal tools to combat the explosion of anti-Semitic harassment in our schools and on college campuses—including through the removal of resident aliens who violate our laws,” the proclamation states.

Perhaps the most defining phrase of the executive order is its emotional crescendo: “Above all, we vow to never forget the atrocities of the Holocaust. We declare that never again means now.”

This declarative statement serves as a bridge between historical memory and present-day action, solidifying Trump’s message that remembrance must not be passive but active and enforceable through legal and governmental channels.

The proclamation formally designates the Days of Remembrance from April 20 to April 27, 2025, and encourages Americans to observe this period through “appropriate study, prayers, and commemoration.” Trump also urged the public to honor Holocaust victims by drawing lessons from their suffering and standing against modern expressions of antisemitism.

“We reflect upon the dark affront to human dignity posed by Nazis. We cherish the eternal memories of all those whose lives were lost to the deadly scourge of anti-Semitism,” he said.

Trump’s executive order comes amid ongoing debates over rising antisemitism on college campuses, fueled in part by pro-Hamas rhetoric and recent encampment protests that have targeted Jewish students, speakers, and institutions. According to The Washington Free Beacon, the administration has been increasingly aggressive in linking federal funding decisions to university accountability, placing the issue of antisemitism at the center of broader political and cultural fault lines.

This proclamation reinforces the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance approach to campus radicalism and antisemitic incitement, positioning the fight against Jew-hatred as both a moral imperative and a national security concern.

With his 2025 proclamation, President Trump has fused solemn remembrance with decisive policy action, declaring that honoring the past must also mean protecting Jewish communities in the present.

The full executive order not only commemorates one of history’s greatest atrocities—it delivers a firm message that America will respond to modern antisemitism with strength, not silence. As the Holocaust survivors dwindle in number, this proclamation affirms that their memory will be safeguarded—not just with words, but with action.