...
By Shane Croucher
Senior Editor
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
President Donald Trump mocked France for its celebrations marking 80 years since the Allied victory in Europe in World War II, and said the U.S. should do more to acknowledge its own leading role in winning.
"We love France, right. But I think we did a little more to win the war than France did, do we agree?" Trump told American troops in a speech at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
"You know. I don't want to be a wise guy. But when Hitler made his speech at the Eiffel Tower, I would say that wasn't exactly ideal."
Read More on Politics
'We Won the War'
Trump said he called up French President Emmanuel Macron. "Good guy, by the way," Trump said, and he mimicked Macron's voice: "'Donald, we are celebrating our victory over the Germans.'"
"Oh, that's wonderful," Trump continued. "Now, we don't take credit for what we do. And I said, what the hell? Every country I've spoken to in the last week is celebrating the war but us. Isn't that terrible?"
France and Britain commemorate on V-E Day—or Victory in Europe Day—on May 8, the date Germany formally surrendered. Russia celebrates on May 9, owing to the treaty being signed late that day and Moscow's different time zone to the rest of Europe.
...
Trump noted that "Russia was celebrating, France was celebrating, everybody was celebrating but us. And we're the ones that won the war. We won the war."
"And they helped, but without us they don't win the war. We're all speaking German. You know that, right? Without us, they're speaking German, maybe a little Japanese too. We won the war. And we're the only ones that didn't celebrate."
Newsweek has contacted the French foreign ministry's press office via email for comment.
'Victory Day for World War II'
Trump had previously declared May 8 as America's "Victory Day for World War II" and November 11 as "Victory Day for World War I." He said in a post on Truth Social that the U.S. "did more than any other country, by far" to win World War II.
The comments prompted criticism from historians who highlighted the Soviet Union's vast contribution to defeating Nazi Germany, as well as vital roles played by allies including the U.K., Free French Forces, and many others who helped to defeat the Axis powers.
British historian Richard Overy, who has written extensively on World War II, told Newsweek previously that Trump's remarks were an "extraordinary distortion of history" and he had "forgotten entirely what the Red Army achieved in World War II."
France fell to Nazi Germany in June 1940. The south was not fully occupied by Nazi forces until 1942, with the country administered by a rump state, Vichy France.
Many of its citizens continued to fight on through the Free French Forces and the French Resistance.
Free French Forces, of the exiled government led by General Charles de Gaulle, joined with Army of Africa troops to form the French Liberation Army, which took part in successful Allied campaign to take France back. They also joined the Western Allied invasion of Germany.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines