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Madonna Rips Trump Administration's 'Absurd' Decision Not To Mark World AIDS Day For First Time Since 1988
In a carousel of images, Madonna shared:
"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."
"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."
Then Madonna explained why the United States didn't join the rest of the world in 2025:
"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."
@madonna/Instagram
Then the pop icon called on people to ignore the bigotry of the Trump administration and remember those who died and those who live with AIDS.
"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."
"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."
"I will continue to honor World AIDS Day, and I hope you will honor it with me."
@madonna/Instagram
Friends and fans appreciated the Queen of Pop's continued support for people with HIV and AIDS while others called out Trump's bigotry.
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The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation also acknowledged Madonna's post.
@madonna/Instagram
Madonna and late Oscar-winning actor Elizabeth Taylor were among the first mainstream stars to speak out about HIV and AIDS, calling for awareness and compassion.
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Taylor and her foundation and Madonna have collectively raised and donated hundreds of millions of dollars for global HIV/AIDS research, treatment, and awareness—a fact not lost on those who also lived through the '80s and those who know their history.
@madonna/Instagram
While AIDS is no longer the epidemic Madonna lived through in the 1980s, people continue to contract HIV and AIDS, mostly through ignorance thanks to cuts in health education or conservative school boards or parents forcing ineffective abstinence only or a complete removal of sex education in schools.
The very Republican red Southern United States has both the highest overall number of annual new HIV/AIDS diagnoses and the highest annual rate—almost 50%—of new diagnoses, despite accounting for only 39% of the U.S. population. The South overall comes last in education, access to sex education, and access to sexual healthcare and prevention in the United States.
"Silence = death" was a mantra in the early struggle for AIDS research, treatment, and education. Ignorance and avoidance over 40 years later are just as deadly.
As the late Elizabeth Taylor stated:
"It is bad enough that people are dying of AIDS, but no one should die of ignorance."
'Franklin The Turtle' Publisher Condemns Pete Hegseth For Turning Beloved Character Into Violent Meme
You can see it below.
@PeteHegseth/X
Hegseth's post followed a Washington Post investigation published last week alleging that in September he directed a U.S. strike unit to eliminate everyone aboard a single vessel. According to the report, after two people were later spotted alive in the wreckage, commanders authorized a follow-up “double tap” strike to ensure their deaths.
In the aftermath of that initial strike, the Trump administration formally informed Congress that the United States was engaged in what it called a “non-international armed conflict” with unnamed “designated terrorist organizations.” Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have accused Hegseth of committing war crimes.
Kids Can Press, once alerted about the meme, denounced Hegseth's appropriation of the beloved children's book character:
“Franklin the Turtle is a beloved Canadian icon who has inspired generations of children and stands for kindness, empathy, and inclusivity. We strongly condemn any denigrating, violent, or unauthorized use of Franklin’s name or image, which directly contradicts these values.”
You can see the statement below.
Many have praised the publisher for speaking out and have condemned Hegseth's action.
On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Hegseth had personally approved the operation by empowering the Special Operations commander in charge, Admiral Frank Bradley, to carry out what she described as “kinetic strikes.”
Leavitt added that Bradley acted within his legal authorities, insisting that the engagement complied with the rules governing such actions and successfully destroyed the vessel while neutralizing what the administration characterized as a threat to the United States.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said that Hegseth had rejected claims that he authorized a follow-up attack on two men who survived the initial strike, quoting him as saying he “did not order the death of those two men.” Trump also attempted to separate himself from the second strike, stating that he would not have supported another attack, even as he described the first as “fine.”
