President Donald Trump announced late on Thursday he would rename Veterans Day to Victory Day for World War I, to commemorate the Nov. 11 date that officially ended the conflict in 1918.
May 8, he said, would also be recognized in the U.S. as Victory Day for World War II. The date is already frequently observed in European countries as Victory in Europe Day, marking the official end of World War II against Nazi Germany, but it is not a U.S. federal holiday.
In a late-night social media post, President Trump suggested the dates were not sufficiently recognized in the U.S.
"I am hereby renaming May 8th as Victory Day for World War II and November 11th as Victory Day for World War I. 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!" the president wrote.
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Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day when it was established in 1919. The U.S. changed the holiday's local name to All Veterans Day in 1954 and later shortened it to Veterans Day. In 1968 it was recognized as a federal holiday honoring all American veterans.
