While the November 11 federal holiday was first created to honor veterans of World War I, it was later changed to honor American veterans of all wars.
WASHINGTON โ President Donald Trump has announced he wants to rename Veterans Day, a federal holiday on November 11, to “Victory Day for World War I” in a move to “start celebrating our victories again.”ย
In a Truth Social post Thursday, the president also vowed to rename May 8, now known as Victory in Europe Day, as โVictory Day for World War II.โ
“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! We are going to start celebrating our victories again,” Trump posted on his social media platform.ย
Trump’s social media announcement didn’t include any executive orders and only Congress can create or change a federal holiday. There are currently 12 federal holidays observed in the U.S., with Juneteenth becoming the newest addition in 2021.ย
What is Veterans Day and why is it on November 11?ย
Veterans Day, originally known as “Armistice Day,” is a federal holiday observed annually on Nov. 11 to mark when during World War I an armistice went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. ย
Nearly twenty years later, legislation passed on May 13, 1938, officially making Nov. 11 of a federal holiday, ย the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs explains on its website.
While the holidayย was first created to honor veterans of World War I, the original legislation was amended in 1954 to change the holiday’s name to Veterans Day, to honor American veterans of all wars. ย
โVictory Day for World War II”
VE Dayย marks when Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allies, including the United States on May 8, 1945.ย
But while fighting ended in Europe, it continued in the Pacific, where U.S. and Allied forces fought the Japanese in Okinawa, the Philippines and other places.
On Aug. 6, 1945, the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Three days later, another bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki.ย
On. Sept. 2, 1945, Japanese representatives formally surrendered during a ceremony on the battleship USS Missouri, marking the end of World War II.ย
VE Day is not currently a federal holiday, unlike Veterans Day.ย
Trump’s announcement has led to objections from multiple veterans’ groups, according to the New York Times.
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