Trump Declares Veterans Day “Victory Day for World War I”
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Veterans Day will now also be recognized as “Victory Day for World War I,” honoring the United States’ role in Germany’s surrender on November 11, 1918.
During a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Trump declared, according to the New York Post, “Today is not only Veterans Day, but it’s my proclamation that we are now going to be saying and calling [it] Victory Day for World War I.”
He explained his reasoning by noting, “I saw France was celebrating ‘Victory Day,’ but we didn’t. And I saw France was celebrating another ‘victory day’ for World War II, and other countries were celebrating. They were all celebrated. We’re the one that won the wars.”
Trump had previously mentioned the idea in May on Truth Social, when he suggested May 8 be recognized as Victory Day for World War II. However, the proclamation issued Monday initially left out the new title.
“From now on, we’re going to say Victory Day for World War I and World War II. And we could do for plenty of other wars, but we’ll start with those two. Maybe someday somebody else will add a couple of more, because we won a lot of good ones,” he said.
Trump added that he was inspired after observing how other nations commemorate their victories. “When I see other countries celebrating Victory Day, I watched it. I watched UK. I watched Russia. They were celebrating Victory Day … and I said, ‘We got to have a Victory Day.’ Nobody even talked about it in our country.”
The announcement came after Trump laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, facing strong winds and freezing temperatures. Wearing a scarf and gloves, he stood beside Vice President JD Vance, an Iraq War veteran, and Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins.
“Our heroes have lived through unthinkable nightmares so we could live the American dream — and the American dream is coming back again, stronger than ever before, and you’ll see that as the next few years evolve,” Trump said.
He also addressed ongoing national issues, including the government shutdown that has left 1.4 million federal employees without pay and delayed food-stamp assistance for nearly 42 million Americans. “We’re opening up our country. Should have never been closed,” he said, mentioning a recent visit to a wounded soldier at Walter Reed military hospital.
Arlington National Cemetery, which holds the remains of about 400,000 people, is located across the Potomac River from Washington on land once owned by the family of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Trump has also proposed building a triumphal arch nearby to mark the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
