On May 1, Donald Trump used Truth Social to announce that he wants to rename Veterans Day “Victory Day for World War 1.” He explained the new name would be a way of celebrating the United States’ military victories. He also added that he wanted to push to recognize May 8 as “Victory Day for World War II” as well. “We are going to start celebrating our victories again!” Trump wrote.
Veterans Day
Veterans Day is celebrated every Nov. 11 and is a federal holiday. It is celebrated on Nov. 11 because that marks the date when the fighting in World War I ended. The Department of Veterans Affairs describes the holiday as “honoring veterans for their willingness to serve.” May 8 is recognized as Victory in Europe Day and is not recognized as a federal holiday.
Trump Truth Social Announcement
Trump used social media to claim he wants to rename the holiday to acknowledge American soldiers from World War I and World War II. “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!” he wrote on Truth Social.
Naming Federal Holidays
There is a legislative process that is used to name holidays and determine if they should be federal holidays. Federal holidays are holidays for federal employees. Each state has the power to determine its legal holidays.
There are now 11 federal holidays observed each year in the United States. Veterans Day is one of those recognized holidays. It is celebrated on November 11 because World War I, the war between Germany and the Allied Powers, ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, which took place on June 28, 1919; however, the fighting had ended months before, on November 11, 1918.
Veterans Day, November 11th
Veterans Day falls on the 11th day of November each year, no matter what day of the week that falls on. The day not only celebrates the end of the war but also celebrates veterans in general. Veterans Day became a federal holiday in 1938, and at that time, it was known as Armistice Day. In 1954, Congress renamed it Veterans Day.
Veterans Day Celebrates All Veterans
Trump’s idea to make May 8 “Victory Day for World War II” is off by months. May 8, 1945, is the date the war ended in Europe, but fighting continued in the Pacific for three more months. Veterans Day celebrates all veterans, including the ones who fought in Vietnam, Iran, and Afghanistan. Trump made no mention of those veterans in his social media post.
Memorial Day is celebrated every year on the last Monday in May and honors those who lost their lives defending their country. Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day in 1888. It was a federal holiday in the District of Columbia. It is celebrated by placing wreaths and flowers on the graves of Civil War veterans. It was renamed Memorial Day by Congress in 1968 and was proclaimed a federal holiday.
