Overview
- Speaking after a wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Trump said the U.S. will refer to Nov. 11 as Victory Day for World War I and, rhetorically, for World War II.
- The White House issued a standard Veterans Day proclamation and a separate Victory Day message, but the formal proclamation did not rename the holiday.
- Vice President J.D. Vance and Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins attended the ceremony, and Vance delivered remarks honoring those who served.
- Trump asserted his administration has renamed the Department of Defense to the Department of War, a claim reporters noted would require legal steps and is not reflected in statute.
- He credited his team with cutting the VA claims backlog in half and vowed further reductions, while reactions from veterans’ groups and historians to the Victory Day framing were mixed.