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January 15, 2018

Trump breaks with past presidents on MLK Day activities

WATCH: Trump pushes back: 'No, I'm not a racist'
By KAREN TRAVERS AND KATERI JOCHUM

President Donald Trump's schedule today marks a break in presidential tradition.

Though it isn't unusual for Trump to visit his golf course while spending time at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida, the timing of it today, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, shows a break from the actions of past presidents.

While Trump urged Americans last Friday to observe the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday with acts of civic work and community service to honor the life of the civil rights legend, it doesn’t appear he'll be doing the same, with no public events listed on his schedule. The White House didn't immediately respond to requests for further details on how Trump spent his day.

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Past Republican and Democratic presidents have done some form of commemoration for King's life of service on the holiday during their time in office.

Stephen Jaffe/AFP/Getty Images
President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore tear down a wall to begin renovation of the Regency House, a senior health center, Jan. 18, 1999 in Washington.

In 1994, then-President Bill Clinton signed legislation to designate the federal holiday as a national day of service. He also did volunteer work himself in subsequent years, including a day he spent painting the walls at a Washington, D.C., high school in 1998 and joining AmeriCorps volunteers in painting a senior center in 2001.

Brooks Kraft/Corbis via Getty Images
President George W. Bush helps volunteers paint a mural at a high school during the Martin Luther King Jr day of service in Washington, Jan. 15, 2007.

During his eight years in office, then-President George W. Bush participated in service events, invited African-American clergy to the White House for lunch and attended church and cultural services honoring King.

Michael Reynolds/Getty Images
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama help paint a mural depicting Martin Luther King Jr., at the Jobs Have Priority Naylor Road Family Shelter, Jan. 16, 2017 in Washington.

And former President Barack Obama and his family made it an annual tradition to participate in some type of service event, from working at a soup kitchen to painting a mural at a family shelter.

Olivier Douliery/Getty Images, File
President Barack Obama participates in a community service project at Leckie Elementary school in celebration of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and in honor of Dr. King's life and legacy, Jan. 18, 2016 in Washington, DC.

Hundreds of demonstrators, including many from the Haitian community, greeted Trump today in West Palm Beach. They called for the president to apologize for his controversial comments reportedly made during a recent Oval Office meeting on immigration reform.

"Mr. Trump, we want him to know what he said was not who we are and he needs to apologize," Byrnes Guillaume, organizer of the protest, told ABC affiliate WPBF. "It was unbecoming of a president."

ABC News' Meghan Keneally contributed to this report

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