President Trump’s Thanksgiving message to Americans

November 21, 2018

The White House News Release

It’s that time of year again, as many Americans travel far and wide to be with loved ones over the Thanksgiving holiday. Gathering in places of worship and around family dinner tables, it is a time to give appreciation for all that we’ve been blessed with.

“On Thanksgiving Day, we recall the courageous and inspiring journey of the Pilgrims who, nearly four centuries ago, ventured across the vast ocean to flee religious persecution and establish a home in the New World,” President Donald J. Trump wrote in his 2018 Thanksgiving Proclamation. Facing dangerous conditions and uncertainty, the more than 100 Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts, and “instilled in our Nation a strong faith in God that continues to be a beacon of hope to all Americans.”

In recognition of their journey, President George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving Proclamation on November 26, 1789. But it was under President Abraham Lincoln that the day became a true national celebration on the final Thursday of November each year.  

“We give thanks for the family, friends, neighbors and loved ones who enrich our lives, lift our spirits, and fill our days with joy. And we give thanks to God, who continues to shed his almighty grace upon this magnificent land that we all love so very much,” President Trump said yesterday from the Rose Garden.

“We are truly blessed to be Americans.”

Thanksgiving at the White House, then and now

Watch: President Trump pardons this year’s National Thanksgiving Turkey!