President Trump applauded West Point alumni for canceling an event honoring “Saving Private Ryan” actor and veterans’ advocate Tom Hanks.
“Our great West Point (getting greater all the time!) has smartly cancelled the Award Ceremony for actor Tom Hanks. Important move!” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform Monday. “We don’t need destructive, WOKE recipients getting our cherished American Awards!!!”
The President also expressed hope that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), which has twice honored Hanks as its Best Actor in a Leading Role, would “review their Standards and Practices in the name of Fairness and Justice” and shun the 69-year-old star as well.
Hanks was to be presented with the 2025 Sylvanus Thayer Award on Sept. 25. The U.S. Military Academy alumni association canceled the ceremony last week, according to NPR, which said the actor will still receive the honor.
West Point Association of Graduates Robert McDonald said in June that Hanks would be recognized for his contributions to veteran services as well as his “positive portrayal of the American service member” in films including “Forrest Gump,” “Greyhound” and “Bridge of Spies.”
Hanks has publicly endorsed Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, who’ve all been critical of Trump.
The Trump administration’s war on “woke” has so far included installing a portrait featuring Confederate General Robert E. Lee in uniform with a slave in West Point’s library, according to the New York Times. Several women in leadership positions were purged from the Department of Defense after the 47th President came to power in January.
The veteran association’s chief executive told the Washington Post canceling the award ceremony for Hanks allows West Point “to continue its focus on its core mission of preparing cadets to lead, fight, and win as officers in the world’s most lethal force, the United States Army.”
With News Wire Services
