Trump Scoffs at France Celebrating ‘Victory Day’: ‘We’re the One That Won the Wars!’
President Donald Trump said he was recently thrown off by France and other countries celebrating “Victory Day” to commemorate the end of World War II, saying it was ridiculous they had such a special day but the U.S. didn’t, considering America won the war for them.
The president shared his thoughts during a speech at Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday, while delivering a Veteran’s Day speech:
You know, I was recently at an event, and I saw France was celebrating Victory Day — but we didn’t. And I saw France was celebrating another Victory Day for World War II, and other countries were celebrating. They were all celebrating — we’re the one that won the wars!
And I said, from now on, we’re going to say Victory Day for World War I and World War II, and we could do [it] for plenty of other wars. But we’ll start with those two.
His remarks about France drew a few chuckles from the crowd. France celebrates Victory Day on May 8 each year to honor the end of the war in Europe back in 1945.
Trump said there may be other wars worth celebrating as well, considering “we won a lot of good ones.”
The president, a moment later, said he was also thrown off by Russia and the United Kingdom having their own Victory Days.
“I said, we got to have a Victory Day,” Trump said. “Nobody even talked about it in our country.”
He said that ends now with the Trump administration, which drew some claps and applause from the crowd.
Trump’s remarks came a few hours after the White House put out a statement from the president on “Victory Day for World War I.”
Here is part of that statement, released 107 years after WWI ended on Nov. 11, 1918:
More than one century following the end of World War I, we honor the valiant American Service members whose victory sent a resounding message to the entire world: No tyranny can topple the strength of the American military, no nation can compete with the power of American industry, and no adversary can withstand the unwavering vigor of the American spirit.
There were a few other notable moments from the president’s speech on Tuesday. He complimented his administration for significantly reducing illegal immigration and securing a peace deal between Israel and Hamas, among other accomplishments, and said the U.S. was done being “politically correct” when it comes to military matters.
“When we fight a war, we only fight for one reason: to win,” Trump said. “We fight to win.”
Watch his comments above via CNN.
