Madonna slams President Trump for not acknowledging World Aids Day
Madonna joins many health experts and activists who are disappointed and outraged by the Trump administration's decision.
World AIDS Day (1 December) is a global movement to unite people in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Since 1988, communities have stood together on World AIDS Day to show strength and solidarity against HIV stigma and to remember lives lost.
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According to the South African Government and Statistics South Africa, the total number of persons living with HIV in South Africa was estimated at approximately 8 million or an estimated 12,7% of the total population in 2024.
- Approximately 1.2 million people in the U.S. have HIV.
- In 2022, an estimated 31,800 people acquired HIV in the U.S.
- Estimated new HIV infections decreased 12% from 36,300 in 2018 to 31,800 in 2022.
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Even though HIV and Aids still affect a large portion of US citizens, the State Department has decided not to participate in World Aids Day for the first time since its inception in 1988.
In November 2025, public health expert Emily Bass shared a State Department email that instructed personnel not to use government resources or communications channels to promote the day, citing a broader policy “to refrain from messaging on any commemorative day.”
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Since this was made public, health experts, activists, and other influential people have spoken out about this decision.
One celebrity who made her outrage clear was Madonna.
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The legendary singer took to Instagram, where she wrote about the “ridiculous” decision and the severity of the AIDS epidemic.
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.
She also shared her own personal experiences of loved ones being affected by this disease and the loss she has dealt with.
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The singer said that the list of people she has lost to AIDS “is pretty long” and she knows many others have had to deal with the same.
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.
Read her full post here:
State Department Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott defended the Trump administration’s policy in a statement to The New York Times, which stated, “An awareness day is not a strategy.”
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