The White House issued a proclamation on Thursday declaring May 8 as “Victory Day for World War II,” honoring the 80th anniversary of the Allied Powers’ “triumph over national socialism and fascism, and the end of World War II in Europe.”
“On this Victory Day for World War II, we celebrate the unmatched might, strength, and power of the American Armed Forces, and we commit to protecting our sacred birthright of liberty against all threats, foreign and domestic,” read a White House statement from U.S. President Donald Trump.
The proclamation went on to honor the sacrifice of the “more than 250,000 Americans lost their lives in the fight against the Nazi regime.”
“Without the sacrifice of our American soldiers, this war would not have been won, and our world today would look drastically different,” the statement continued, adding that the memories of those who died during the war “serve as a reminder of why we must pursue peace through strength.”
Speaking to the United Nations at a gathering on Wednesday to honor the victims of World War II, Dorothy Shea, the U.S. ambassador to the world body, honored the victims of the Holocaust and called for the world not to look away from rising antisemitism.
“We must renew our solemn vow to never again allow such atrocities to take place and declare that ‘never again’ means now, as we confront the worst outbreak of antisemitism in generations,” she said.
