Trump announces plan to rename Veterans Day as ‘Victory Day’ in Arlington cemetery speech

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced his plans to issue a proclamation designation the Veterans Day holiday as “Victory Day for World War I” — citing the US’ role in forcing Germany’s surrender on Nov. 11, 1918.

“Today is not only Veterans Day, but it’s my proclamation that we are now going to be saying and calling [it] Victory Day for World War I,” Trump said in a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, The New York Post reported.

“From now on, we’re going to say Victory Day for World War I and World War II. And we could do for plenty of other wars, but we’ll start with those two. Maybe someday somebody else will add a couple of more, because we won a lot of good ones,” Trump said.

“But when I see other countries celebrating Victory Day, I watched it. I watched UK. I watched Russia. They were celebrating Victory Day … and I said, ‘We got to have a Victory Day.’ Nobody even talked about it in our country,” he said.

He further added, “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 celebrated. We’re the one that won the wars.”

Trump: "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." pic.twitter.com/2RxRyLlmtm

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 11, 2025

Trump made the announcement after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier — as strong winds made for an unseasonably frigid event.

Trump also celebrated Congress inching closer to ending the 42-day government shutdown, which has snarled air travel, caused 1.4 million federal workers to go without pay and put in limbo food-stamp payments for nearly 42 million people.

“We’re opening up our country. Should have never been closed,” he said in wide-ranging remarks, The New York Post reported.