President Trump said Thursday that he would rename Veterans Day, on Nov. 11, as “Victory Day for World War I” and May 8, widely known as V-E Day, as “Victory Day for World War II,” so that the United States could celebrate its achievements in those conflicts.
“We won both Wars, nobody was close to us in terms of strength, bravery, or military brilliance, but we never celebrate anything,” Mr. Trump said in a late-night post on Truth Social. “We are going to start celebrating our victories again!”
The announcement was not accompanied by an executive order, and Mr. Trump did not say whether he intended for May 8 to be a federal holiday, like Veterans Day. The power to create and amend public holidays rests with Congress.
Mr. Trump referenced the celebrations by America’s allies to mark V-E Day, for “Victory in Europe,” this year. “We did more than any other” country, he said, to achieve an Allied victory in World War II, a conflict that devastated most of Europe and huge parts of Asia.
The V-E Day commemorations this year in Britain, France, Canada and other U.S. allies will mark 80 years since the formal end of the war in Europe after Germany’s surrender.
Mr. Trump’s claim that the United States did more than any other nation to defeat Nazi Germany might be contested in Russia, which marks the Soviet victory over German forces in World War II on May 9 every year. The Russian Victory Day, which is meant to honor the 27 million Soviets who died in the war, is a national holiday and one of the most important days on the country’s calendar.
Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day in the United States to mark the end of World War I. After World War II and the Korean War, it was renamed, and its scope was expanded to honor all U.S. military veterans. Memorial Day, which falls on the last Monday in May, specifically honors those who gave their lives for the country.
In his post on Thursday night, Mr. Trump did not detail any specific celebrations he wanted to see on these two days. He has previously expressed his desire to honor the military with events such as parades in Washington.
