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Justin Bieber shares poignant Martin Luther King Jr quote amid Donald Trump’s inauguration

Trump’s second swearing-in ceremony coincided with Martin Luther King Day

Inga Parkel
in New York
Monday 20 January 2025 17:22 EST
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Donald Trump's 2025 and 2017 inauguration speeches compared

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Justin Bieber celebrated Martin Luther King Day with a poignant quote from the late Civil Rights activist.

This year, MLK Day, which always falls on the third Monday in January, coincided with the second inauguration of Donald Trump held on January 20.

In honor of the federal holiday, intended to honor the life and legacy of the former minister, the 30-year-old pop star and new father shared an image of Dr. King on Instagram.

“Hate can’t drive out hate only love can do that,” Bieber wrote in the caption. “Love you happy MLK DAY.”

The Grammy-winning singer’s message was met with an outpouring of support in the comments below, with one user responding: “YES it’s MLK day and not trump TELL EM.”

“Only man worth celebrating today,” a second declared.

Justin Bieber wished his fans a happy MLK Day
Justin Bieber wished his fans a happy MLK Day (Getty Images)

A third replied with another famous King Jr. quote: “Injustice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere.”

King Jr., the leader of the American civil rights movement who died in 1968, is celebrated every year for organizing countless peaceful protests, including the famous March on Washington, throughout his life in the fight for racial equality and the end of segregation.

The first official Martin Luther King Day took place in 1986, three years after President Ronald Reagan signed a bill into law that established his birthday as a federal holiday.

Meanwhile, Inauguration Day was initially held on March 4, when incoming presidents, vice presidents, and members of Congress were sworn into office.

However, in 1933, the 20th Amendment was ratified, moving Inauguration Day up to January 20. Since then, each President-elect has taken the presidential oath of office every four years, whether it’s their first or second term.

During Trump’s inauguration, he addressed the nation claiming that a new “golden age of America” had begun.

Standing behind a lectern adorned by the presidential seal, Trump said his return to the White House would ensure that America would “not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer.”

“Our sovereignty will be reclaimed. Our safety will be restored. The scales of justice will be rebalanced. The vicious, violent and unfair weaponization of the Justice Department and our government will end and our top priority will be to create a nation that is proud, prosperous and free,” he promised.

Just two hours after being sworn in, the president has begun signing more than 200 executive orders — a record — covering everything from border security and energy to ending birthright citizenship and renaming the Gulf of Mexico.

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