Trump wants Veterans Day renamed ‘Victory Day for WWI’

President Donald Trump has suggested significant changes to the US holiday calendar, calling for Veterans Day to be renamed and a new commemoration to be added to honor America’s victories in the world wars.

In a post published late Thursday on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump proposed renaming the November 11 federal holiday currently known as Veterans Day to “Victory Day for World War I,” claiming it’s time to “start celebrating our victories again.” He also advocated for May 8 to be recognized as “Victory Day for World War II,” referencing the day in 1945 that marked the end of the war in Europe, commonly known as V-E Day.

“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!” Trump wrote.

While he emphasized the significance of May 8, Trump did not clarify whether he would push for it to become a federal holiday. Currently, federal holidays are established through congressional legislation, and states are not required to observe them, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Veterans Day, as it stands, has its origins in the conclusion of World War I. The fighting ceased on Nov. 11, 1918, and in 1938, Congress declared the date "Armistice Day," meant to honor peace and veterans of the First World War. Following World War II and the Korean War, advocacy from veterans groups led to a change in 1954, when the day was renamed Veterans Day to include recognition for all US veterans.

Trump’s proposal does not address how such a name change would affect the honoring of veterans from other wars; the very individuals Veterans Day currently seeks to recognize.

As for the proposed World War II commemoration, Trump’s timing is historically debatable. While May 8 marks the end of the war in Europe, the conflict in the Pacific continued until Sept. 2, 1945, the day Japan formally surrendered aboard the USS Missouri — an event known as V-J Day and widely recognized as the war’s official conclusion.

“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,” Trump added in his post.