President Donald Trump announced on Thursday night that he is renaming Veterans Day to “Victory Day for World War I” and renaming May 8, known as V-E Day, to “Victory Day for World War II.”
Trump did not issue an executive order following the announcement, though he could do so later on Friday.
“Many of our allies and friends are celebrating May 8th as Victory Day, but we did more than any other Country, by far, in producing a victorious result on World War II,” he said. “I am hereby renaming May 8th as Victory Day for World War II and November 11th as Victory Day for World War I. We won both Wars, nobody was close to us in terms of strength, bravery, or military brilliance, but we never celebrate anything — That’s because we don’t have leaders anymore, that know how to do so! We are going to start celebrating our victories again!”
The post came right after he spoke at the University of Alabama’s graduation. V-E Day or Victory in Europe Day, which celebrates the end of World War II fighting in Europe as Germany surrendered, is just under a week away.
It’s unclear whether Trump intends to keep the Veterans Day name and shift it to a different day. The day is used as a “celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.”
Veterans Day is considered one of the two most veteran-centric holidays, alongside Memorial Day, which celebrates fallen veterans.
Trump drew criticism for the announcement, with detractors arguing the name change will not give veterans of other wars their due.
“So if you’re a veteran of Korea Vietnam and war on terror you don’t deserve a day because you’re a loser,” the Lincoln Project posted on X.
Critics also pointed out there are flaws in renaming May 8 “Victory Day for World War II” because the war didn’t officially end until Japan surrendered a few months later.
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“Sometimes Trump comes up with things so monumentally stupid even I’m at a loss for words,” former Army officer Fred Wellman said in a post on X. “He wants to take away Veterans Day. He thinks WWII ended on May 8th. This is all so ridiculous. At what point do Republicans admit Trump is insane?”
The Washington Examiner reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response.