( printed page 46689) Proclamation 11049 of July 20, 2026

Captive Nations Week, 2026

A Proclamation

During Captive Nations Week, we stand in solidarity with all who suffer beneath communism and tyranny, and we renew our commitment to advancing the timeless cause of liberty around the world. That same devotion must hold firm here at home as well, where the evil ideologies of socialism, communism, and totalitarianism will never be allowed to take root. As one Nation, we vow to ensure our Republic remains the fiercest guardian of freedom and democracy the world has ever known.

Communism has always been a doctrine of darkness, promising equality and prosperity while delivering misery and ruin. Centuries of bloodshed prove that communism has failed every society that has ever embraced it. This wicked creed scorns the individual and treats human beings as property of the state—while, in America, we know the God-given truth that our individual rights flow from our Creator, beyond the reach of any ruler or regime. No country has confronted this evil more courageously than the United States, whose fearless people, holding fast to the conviction that government belongs to the governed, have stood victorious against tyranny and proven that the indomitable might and unmatched resolve of our Nation will always prevail against tyranny.

Today, communism remains the gravest threat our Nation faces, and my Administration is confronting it with relentless determination. Under my leadership, we are defending the sacred rights at the heart of our Republic: life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and the freedom to worship Almighty God without fear. Through the Religious Liberty Commission, we are confronting anti-religious bias and defending the constitutional rights of every American while the White House Faith Office empowers houses of worship and faith-based groups to serve families and communities across our land. That same promise drives us to usher in a new Golden Age of prosperity, safeguarding the free market that fuels our greatness and unleashing the boundless abundance of our economy for every citizen. In preserving these blessings, America offers hope to every captive people who dream of sharing in them and to the nations yearning to be free.

For over 250 years, our Nation has stood as the world's beacon of liberty, and during Captive Nations Week, we vow never to forget the oppressed suffering under communist regimes. America will never be a communist country, and we will never bow to socialism or the evil ideologies that seek to destroy the essence of who we are as a people and what we stand for as a Nation. We stand with all who yearn to breathe free, are imprisoned for speaking truth, punished for their faith, and denied the abundance that liberty alone can bring. Together, we will continue to champion peace, prosperity, sovereignty, religious liberty, and human dignity around the world—and as long as America stands, the cause of freedom will never be extinguished.

The Congress, by Joint Resolution approved July 17, 1959 (73 Stat. 212), has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation designating the third week of July of each year as “Captive Nations Week.” ( printed page 46690)

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 July 19 through July 25, 2026, as Captive Nations Week. I call upon all Americans to reaffirm our commitment to supporting those around the world striving for liberty, justice, and the rule of law with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fifty-first.