US President Donald Trump used his Veterans Day address on Tuesday to slam long-standing Western allies and claim that America’s military victories overshadow those of its partners.During the ceremony, Trump announced he would issue a proclamation designating the Veterans Day holiday as “Victory Day” for both World War I and World War II.“When I see other countries celebrating Victory Day … And I said, we got to have a Victory Day,” he told the audience at Arlington National Cemetery. “From now on, we’re going to be celebrating Victory Day for World War I, for World War II, and frankly, for everything else.”Trump added, “I was recently at an event and I saw that France was celebrating Victory Day, but we didn’t. And I saw France was celebrating another Victory Day for World War 2. And other countries were celebrating. They were all celebrating. We’re the one that won the wars.” Trump pointed to France’s May 8 celebrations marking the defeat of Nazi Germany and Russia’s May 9 Victory Day, and questioned why the United States did not have a similar event. Trump also claimed that his administration had restored the pride of the US military by renaming the Department of Defence back to its original name, the Department of War. “Under the Trump administration, we’re restoring the pride and the winning spirit of the United States military,” he said. “That is why we have officially renamed the Department of Defense back to the original name Department of War.”Yet the GOP leader’s remarks were shaky on the facts. Veterans Day was originally observed on November 11, 1919, as Armistice Day, marking the end of the First World War, and was renamed by Congress in 1954, according to the Independent. The holiday has long commemorated the service of US veterans rather than declaring victory over war itself.
