President Trump announced on Monday that November 11th and May 8th will be designated as national holidays to commemorate the victories of World War I and World War II, respectively. Trump reiterated his belief that the United States should celebrate its military victories like some other countries.
On his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump wrote, “We won both World Wars, but we have never taken credit – everyone else does! The entire allied world celebrates our victory in World War II. The only country not celebrating is the United States, and this victory was solely achieved because of us.”
He added, “Therefore, I hereby declare national holidays to celebrate the victory of World War I – the day the armistice was signed on November 11, 1918; and the victory of World War II, which occurred on May 8, 1945.”
However, he noted that the U.S. will not shut down for these two “very important holidays” as “America already has too many holidays – there aren’t enough days left in the year.”
Last week, Trump expressed his desire for national holidays to commemorate these victories. He also mentioned renaming Veterans Day to “Victory Day for World War I” and adding a new holiday to honor the victory of World War II. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later clarified in a statement that the government “will not rename Veterans Day… just issue a separate proclamation on the day of the holiday.”
Establishing new federal holidays requires legislation passed by Congress, and unilateral declarations by the president do not have legal effect.
November 11th is Veterans Day, an important national holiday in the U.S. that honors veterans, particularly those who have served in past wars. Originally named “Armistice Day” by President Wilson, the day commemorates the official armistice of World War I at 11 am on November 11, 1918, which later evolved into Veterans Day.
On May 8, 1945, Nazi Germany formally signed the surrender to the Soviet Union, declaring unconditional surrender. As the surrender took effect on May 8 in Central Europe and May 9 in Moscow, the U.S. and Western European countries designated May 8th as Victory in Europe Day, while Russia and other Eastern European countries observe it on May 9th. Each year on this day, various European countries, especially those that experienced occupation and attacks by Nazi Germany during the war, commemorate the end of the European front of World War II in different ways.
(The article references reporting from “The Capitol Hill Journal”)