Trump Makes Day He Was Inaugurated A National Holiday In Most Trump Move Yet

On Monday, President Donald Trump proclaimed January 20, 2017 -- the day he was inaugurated -- a "National Day of Patriotic Devotion." 

Trump's proclamation states,

A new national pride stirs the American soul and inspires the American heart. We are one people, united by a common destiny and a shared purpose. Freedom is the birthright of all Americans, and to preserve that freedom we must maintain faith in our sacred values and heritage... There are no greater people than the American citizenry, and as long as we believe in ourselves, and our country, there is nothing we cannot accomplish. NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 20, 2017, as National Day of Patriotic Devotion, in order to strengthen our bonds to each other and to our country -- and to renew the duties of Government to the people.

In some ways, this isn't that out of the ordinary.

In 2009, for example, President Obama proclaimed the date of his inauguration as a "National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation.”

Not to mention, American leaders talk about patriotism all the time.

But, the name of Trump's new holiday makes it sound somewhat mandatory, and the line in the proclamation that says "we must maintain faith in our sacred values and heritage" adds to those sentiments.

There's also the fact that the phrase "patriotic devotion" is prominent in North Korean propaganda and is frequently uttered by the repressive and secretive state's leaders.

Some seem to feel this proclamation from Trump is more sinister than it might appear, and are even drawing parallels to Hitler.

The Nazis celebrated a "day of national awakening" when Hitler won the 1933 election.

There are arguably other matters we should be far more concerned with than Trump's "National Day of Patriotic Devotion," but it does seem to suggest his administration will be extremely nationalistic, which is something most people already anticipated.

Citations: Trump Names His Inauguration Day A National Day Of Patriotic Devotion (Washington Post), Donald Trump's 'day of patriotic devotion' has echoes of North Korea (The Guardian)