Trump declares US ‘Victory’ for Second World War as veterans groups bristle at renaming commemorations

Nothing says ‘tribute to the Greatest Generation’ quite like trying to rename military holidays, appease Vladimir Putin and schedule a military parade for your birthday.While countries like the Netherlands were paying tribute to Canadian war veterans for the 80th Anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, US president Donald Trump marked the occasion with a proclamation full of praise for American might, self-congratulation and a healthy dose of historical revisionism. .In a sweeping statement issued from the White House, Trump declared May 8 as ‘Victory Day for World War II’ crediting the United States solely for the triumph over fascism in 1945. In true Trumpian fashion, the proclamations were laced with boasts of American dominance that continue to this day under his second term.“We did more than any other country, by far,” he wrote on Truth Social, referencing the Second World War. “Without the sacrifice of our American soldiers, this war would not have been won.” .That came as a surprise to historians (and anyone with access to Google), especially given that the Soviet Union lost over 8 million troops — roughly 21 times the American military toll.The proclamation also ignored the small matter of the 24 million Russians who perished, that London was bombed extensively before the US even entered the conflict or the fact that the war continued in the Pacific for four more months.The name "Victory in Europe Day" was coined by American politician and lawyer James Byrne in September 1944 in anticipation of the impending Allied victory. The term "VE Day" was later adopted to mark the official surrender of Germany and the end of the war in Europe on May 8, 1945While much of Europe, including Russia, holds solemn commemorations — Russia‘s is on Friday — Trump’s America is issuing statements praising peace through strength while simultaneously cozying up to the very regime currently waging war on Ukraine. .The irony didn’t stop there. In his continued effort to reshape the American civic calendar to better suit his own foreign policy narrative, Trump also floated the idea of renaming Veterans Day ‘Victory Day for World War I’.That sparked a terse one-word rebuttal from the Disabled American Veterans on its website: “No.” .It’s not the first time Trump has wielded a Sharpie over his nation’s landmarks. He’s already signed executive orders to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the ‘Gulf of America’ and reverse the renaming of Denali back to Mount McKinley.And then there’s the issue of the first military parade since the end of the Gulf War in 1991. Trump has reportedly been planning a grand military procession through Washington, DC — not on Memorial Day, not on the Fourth of July, or any other historically or symbolically significant date.But on June 14. His birthday. That would be the same president who received multiple draft deferments during Vietnam and once infamously called fallen US service members “suckers.”Still, Trump insists, “We never celebrate anything.” Unless, of course, it’s him.Veterans groups and historians remain unimpressed. The Veterans of Foreign Wars politely suggested he keep Veterans Day as is — ideally as a day to reflect on peace, not parades.

Trump declares US ‘Victory’ for Second World War as veterans groups bristle at renaming commemorations

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