Madonna slammed President Donald Trump for ordering government employees and agencies not to commemorate World AIDS Day this year.

Last month, public health expert Emily Bass published a State Department email asking staff not to use government resources or communication channels to promote the day, which was first celebrated in 1988, claiming it was part of a broader policy to “refrain from messaging on any memorial day.”

Madonna joined activists and health experts outraged by the decision in a Monday post on Instagram, where she called the White House decision “ridiculous” and also wrote about the human cost of the AIDS epidemic.

“For four decades, this day has been internationally recognized around the world by people from all walks of life, because the HIV crisis has affected the lives of millions of people,” he wrote.

“People have lost lovers, husbands, wives, girlfriends, boyfriends, mothers, daughters and sons to this deadly disease, for which there is still no cure.”

Madonna, here at the 2025 Met Gala in May, criticized President Donald Trump after his administration ordered government employees not to commemorate World AIDS Day this year.
Madonna, here at the 2025 Met Gala in May, criticized President Donald Trump after his administration ordered government employees not to commemorate World AIDS Day this year.

Dimitrios Kambouris via Getty Images

“Donald Trump has announced that World AIDS Day should no longer be celebrated,” the “Hung Up” singer continued. “It’s one thing to order federal agents to refrain from commemorating this day, but asking the general public to pretend it never happened is ridiculous, absurd, unthinkable.”

Writing about the personal pain of losing a loved one to the virus, Madonna added: “I bet you never saw your 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 list of people I have known, loved and lost to AIDS is quite long,” her post continued. “I’m sure many of you can relate.”

“Let me say it again: there is still no cure for AIDS and people are still dying 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,” he concluded.

A Trump administration spokesperson defended the decision in a statement, saying:
A Trump administration spokesperson defended the decision in a statement, saying, “An awareness day is not a strategy.”

Pete Marovich via Getty Images

State Department deputy spokesman Tommy Pigott defended the Trump administration’s policy in a statement to the New York Times, saying, “An awareness day is not a strategy.”

The decision to abandon World AIDS Day comes in the wake of devastating cuts to foreign aid and public health programs, which derailed HIV/AIDS care abroad and deprived key scientific research of funding.

About 1.2 million people in the United States live with a diagnosis of HIV or AIDS.