{"id":3643,"date":"2025-04-24T11:35:45","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T18:35:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.armeniancouncil.org\/ACA\/?p=3643"},"modified":"2025-04-24T11:35:45","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T18:35:45","slug":"president-trumps-statement-misses-opportunity-to-end-genocide-denial-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.armeniancouncil.org\/ACA\/president-trumps-statement-misses-opportunity-to-end-genocide-denial-again\/","title":{"rendered":"President Trump\u2019s Statement Misses Opportunity to End Genocide Denial\u2014Again"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 President Donald Trump\u2019s April 24, 2025 statement<\/a> marking the 110th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide represents yet another deeply disappointing failure to affirm historical truth and confront the enduring scourge of genocide denial, according to the Armenian Council of America.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe failure to directly and clearly acknowledge the Armenian Genocide\u2014especially after President Biden took the historic and morally courageous step of recognizing it during his term\u2014is profoundly troubling,\u201d said Sevak Khatchadorian, Chairman of the Armenian Council of America. \u201cThis retreat from truth is not only a step backward, but a signal to authoritarian regimes that historical revisionism is tolerable. A genocide denied is an injustice perpetuated.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2021, President Biden broke with decades of diplomatic evasion by formally recognizing the Ottoman Empire\u2019s extermination of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide. His declaration marked a turning point in U.S. moral leadership and global human rights advocacy. In contrast, President Trump\u2019s 2025 statement reverted to vague language, invoking the Armenian phrase Medz Yeghern<\/em>\u2014meaning \u201cGreat Crime\u201d\u2014while once again avoiding the term \u201cgenocide.\u201d This deliberate ambiguity sends a dangerous message and emboldens regimes like Azerbaijan to continue their campaign of aggression with impunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not a matter of semantics or political nuance\u2014it is a matter of life and death,\u201d Khatchadorian emphasized. \u201cAzerbaijan\u2019s dictatorship has waged a relentless war on Armenians, claiming thousands of lives, displacing the entire indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh, and continuing its unlawful military occupation of sovereign Armenian territory.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Azeri regime\u2019s human rights abuses are ongoing and well-documented: Armenian prisoners are subjected to sham trials; ethnic hatred is weaponized for political gain; and Armenophobia is codified as state policy. President Ilham Aliyev\u2019s regime incites hatred, spreads racist propaganda, and scapegoats Armenians to maintain power and suppress dissent.<\/p>\n

President Trump\u2019s statement reflects a troubling pattern of euphemism and silence that not only dishonors the memory of the genocide\u2019s victims but also reinforces dangerous denialist narratives. \u201cBy stepping back from Biden\u2019s precedent, Trump has squandered a critical opportunity to affirm truth over political expediency,\u201d said Khatchadorian.<\/p>\n

President Ronald Reagan, in 1981, provided the clarity still urgently needed today: \u201cLike the genocide of the Armenians before it\u2026 the lessons of the Holocaust must never be forgotten.\u201d Trump\u2019s failure to uphold this legacy is not merely a missed opportunity\u2014it is a moral failure of leadership at a moment when principled action is most needed.<\/p>\n

Below is the full statement released by the White House:<\/p>\n

Presidential Message on Armenian Remembrance Day, 2025<\/p>\n

Today we commemorate the Meds Yeghern, and honor the memories of those wonderful souls who suffered in one of the worst disasters of the 20th Century. Beginning in 1915, one and a half million Armenians were exiled and marched to their deaths in the final years of the Ottoman Empire. On this Day of Remembrance, we again join the Great Armenian Community in America, and around the World, in mourning the many lives that were lost.<\/p>\n

Every year on April 24th, we reflect on the strong and enduring ties between the American and Armenian peoples. We are proud of the American Committee for Armenian and Syrian Relief, a groundbreaking effort established in 1915 that provided crucial humanitarian support to Armenian Refugees, and grateful for the thousands of Americans who contributed or volunteered to help the Armenians expelled from their homes.<\/p>\n

On this day, we bear witness to the strength and resiliency of the Armenian people in the face of tragedy. We are fortunate that so many Armenians have brought their rich culture to our shores, and contributed so much to our Country, including decorated soldiers, celebrated entertainers, renowned architects, and successful business people.<\/p>\n

As we honor the memory of those lost, my Administration remains committed to safeguarding religious freedom and protecting vulnerable minorities. We look forward to continuing our strategic partnership with Armenia, and upholding regional stability as we continue to pursue enduring prosperity and security.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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