In a bold and controversial move, Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy proposed replacing Juneteenth with Election Day as a national holiday.

The 37-year-old entrepreneur and White House contender for 2024 made this audacious proposition during a speech to Iowa voters, sparking a heated debate nationwide.

Ramaswamy, who is currently polling at 6% nationally according to a RealClearPolitics average of Republican primary surveys, argued the spirit of Juneteenth is already commemorated in other holidays, such as Martin Luther King Day and Presidents Day.

He suggested having redundant holidays celebrating overlapping purposes is unnecessary and each should have a distinctive purpose.

The presidential hopeful went on to express his belief that the decision to make Juneteenth a holiday was politically motivated, a reaction to the death of George Floyd.

He described it as a “cultural gun to our head,” implying that the holiday was established under duress rather than through a genuine desire to commemorate the end of slavery.

Ramaswamy’s proposal to replace Juneteenth with Election Day as a national holiday is rooted in his belief that it would eliminate any complaints about voting accessibility.

He stated, “Single day voting, on Election Day. We will make Election Day a holiday in the United States of America, so there are no complaints about it.”

However, he acknowledged that to accommodate another federal holiday, one of the existing 11 would need to be removed from the calendar. His choice? Juneteenth.

“Cancel Juneteenth or one of the other useless ones we made up,” Ramaswamy said. “You can’t have everything be a holiday, but we’ll cancel one of the other ones and make Election Day a holiday.”

Juneteenth, officially recognized as a federal holiday in 2021 by President Biden, commemorates the day in 1865 when federal troops began enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 in Galveston, Texas.

It was the first federal holiday added to the calendar since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.

When asked to clarify whether he believes Juneteenth is a “useless” holiday, Ramaswamy told NBC News: “I basically do.” This statement further fueled the controversy surrounding his proposal, drawing both criticism and support from different quarters.

As the 2024 presidential race heats up, Ramaswamy’s bold stance on Juneteenth and his proposal to replace it with Election Day as a national holiday is sure to keep him in the spotlight.

Whether this will help or hinder his campaign remains to be seen.