Applauds cancellation

Trump applauds cancellation of West Point award ceremony for Tom Hanks

The actor, who has previously supported Trump’s opponents, was to be awarded the Sylvanus Thayer Award later this month.

By Cheyanne M. Daniels

President Donald Trump on Monday applauded West Point Academy’s decision to cancel an award ceremony for actor and veterans advocate Tom Hanks, accusing the celebrity of being “woke” in a post on Truth Social.

“We don’t need destructive, WOKE recipients getting our cherished American Awards!!!” Trump wrote Monday morning. “Hopefully the Academy Awards, and other Fake Award Shows, will review their Standards and Practices in the name of Fairness and Justice. Watch their DEAD RATINGS SURGE!”

Hanks, who has portrayed service members in movies like “Saving Private Ryan” and “Forrest Gump,” has supported Democrats, including former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

Ahead of the 2024 election, the actor told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that if Trump were to secure a second term, it would indicate that the U.S.’s “journey to a more perfect union has missteps in it.”

The West Point Association of Graduates alumni association announced in June that Hanks would be recognized for his work in several movies where he played U.S. service members and his advocacy for building the World War II memorial on the National Mall. Hanks also supports service members through the profits of his coffee company, HANKS for Our Troops.

Robert A. McDonald, chairman of the alumni association, said in June that Hanks has “done more for the caring of the American veteran, their caregivers and their family” than many other Americans.

The actor’s ceremony to receive the Sylvanus Thayer Award, which is awarded to an “outstanding citizen” with a record of service exemplifying “Duty, Honor, Country,” was set for Sept. 25.

But over the weekend, retired Army Col. Mark Bieger, president and chief executive officer of the West Point Association of Graduates, announced to the staff the ceremony would no longer take place.

The cancellation, Bieger wrote in an email to staff first reported by The Washington Post, allows the Academy to focus on preparing cadets to serve in the United States Army. POLITICO has not verified the email.

Neither the West Point Association of Graduates alumni association nor a representative for Hanks immediately responded to a request for comment.