Madonna Slams Trump’s Call to End World AIDS Day as ‘Unthinkable’: ‘He’s Never Watched His Best Friend Die’

Madonna slammed President Donald Trump for ending recognition of World AIDS day.

Last week, news broke that the State Department had instructed employees to “refrain from messaging on any commemorative days, including World AIDS Day.” This comes after years of recognition from the government that spans back to 1988. Madonna took to her Instagram account to voice her disgust about the administration’s decision.

“Today is World AIDS Day. For four decades, this day has been internationally recognized around the world by people from all walks of life, because millions of people’s lives have been touched by the HIV crisis,” Madonna wrote. “People have lost lovers and husbands and wives and girlfriends and boyfriends and mothers and daughters and children to this deadly disease, of which there is still no cure.”

The Queen of Pop added: “Donald Trump has announced that World AIDS Day should no longer be acknowledged. It’s one thing to order federal agents to refrain from commemorating this day, but to ask the general public to pretend it never happened is ridiculous, it’s absurd, it’s unthinkable. I bet he’s never watched his best friend die of AIDS, held their hand and watched the blood drain from their face as they took their last breath at the age of 23.”

The email to State Department staff reportedly said employees could still celebrate the work being done to fight the disease. The line though, was mentioning World AIDS Day on “any communication channels, including social media, media engagements, speeches or other public-facing messaging.”

“An awareness day is not a strategy,” Tommy Pigott, a State Department spokesman, said. “Under the leadership of President Trump, the State Department is working directly with foreign governments to save lives and increase their responsibility and burden sharing.”

That has not stopped the administration from posting and acknowledging a number of other days on the calendar. A handful of those that have already been observed in 2025 are World Autism Awareness Day, National Manufacturing Day and World Intellectual Property Day.

“The list of people that I have known and loved and lost to AIDS is pretty long. I’m sure many of you out there can relate,” Madonna finished. “Let me say it one more time—there still isn’t a cure for AIDS, and people still die from it. I refuse to acknowledge that these people have died in vain. And I will continue to honor World AIDS Day, and I hope you will honor it with me.”

The post Madonna Slams Trump’s Call to End World AIDS Day as ‘Unthinkable’: ‘He’s Never Watched His Best Friend Die’ appeared first on TheWrap.