Presidential Document2026-03381
President George Washington's Birthday, 2026
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
February 19, 2026
Signed
February 16, 2026
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 33 (Thursday, February 19, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 33 (Thursday, February 19, 2026)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 8065-8066]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-03381]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 91, No. 33 / Thursday, February 19, 2026 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 8065]]
Proclamation 11011 of February 16, 2026
President George Washington's Birthday, 2026
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Today, our Nation honors President George Washington,
our foremost American hero, the face of the American
Revolution, and a champion of American liberty. On
President Washington's Birthday, particularly as we
celebrate 250 glorious years of American independence,
we pay tribute to the father of our country, and with
immeasurable pride and gratitude, we salute his
unwavering fidelity to law, liberty, and the common
good. As we chart the course toward the next 250 years
of our great American story, we commit to forging a
future that emulates his grace, imitates his courage,
and mirrors his unshakable devotion to the promise of
freedom.
Born in the Virginia Colony in 1732, George Washington
was first commissioned as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1754,
fighting in the early stages of the French and Indian
War before serving in the Virginia House of Burgesses,
where he grew increasingly outspoken against the
British Crown's reign of taxation and tyranny. He
assembled a band of farmers, frontiersmen, blacksmiths,
and merchants to create the Continental Army,
eventually leading them to victory at Yorktown over the
British Army and their Hessian allies.
Through every triumph and tribulation, he carried
himself with unfailing dignity and resolve. When defeat
seemed all but certain during Christmas of 1776, he
rallied his men to cross the Delaware River and wrested
victory at Trenton. When faced with insurmountable odds
and threats of mutiny during the brutal winter at
Valley Forge, he persevered and prevailed. When decades
of war and public service left him weary and longing
for solitude, he continued selflessly answering duty's
call. When Europe descended into warfare, he
courageously put our national interests and the cause
of peace first. And when confronted with a violent
uprising from rogue actors during the Whiskey
Rebellion, he defended the rule of law and our
Constitution with confidence and strength. Time and
again, when any other man would have surrendered to
despair, Washington pressed forward with unmatched
determination.
Despite his desire to exit public life and enjoy the
fruits of retirement, Washington presided over the
Constitutional Convention at Independence Hall and was
later unanimously elected as our first President in
1789--serving two terms before voluntarily
relinquishing power and returning home to his beloved
Mount Vernon, setting the precedent for the new
Republic. Upon his retirement, King George III, once
Washington's political foe, hailed him as ``the
greatest man of the age.'' By the time of his death, he
commanded the respect of the entire world.
Among President Washington's greatest legacies is his
timeless insistence that, in order to be a great
Nation, America must be a Nation that prays and gives
thanks to our Creator. As he famously declared in his
Farewell Address, ``virtue or morality is a necessary
spring of popular government,'' and our faith in God is
indispensable to our prosperity and strength.
Driven by his relentless tenacity until his very last
breath, Washington was a champion of American
sovereignty, a brilliant unifier and tactician,
[[Page 8066]]
and a man of devout faith and incorruptible
conscience--and his visionary leadership remains
forever imprinted on the soul of our Nation.
Following President Washington's death in December of
1799, the great Henry Lee declared that Washington was
``first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts
of his countrymen.'' To this very day, he remains the
first in our hearts and souls--and his courage and
resolve remain the birthright of every American
citizen. As we pay tribute to our first Commander in
Chief and set our eyes toward our next 250 years of
liberty, we pledge to build a future that honors his
legacy, cherishes his wisdom, and restores America as
one glorious Nation under God.
It is therefore fitting that as we celebrate what would
have been his 294th birthday--and as we commemorate 250
years of American freedom and independence--we pause to
offer our gratitude for President Washington's gallant
life of public service.
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 February 16, 2026, as
a reserved holiday commemorating President George
Washington's Birthday.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
sixteenth day of February, 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.
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(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2026-03381
Filed 2-18-26; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on February 19, 2026.
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