Trump Shies Away from Labeling Armenian Massacres as Genocide in 2021 Statement
Trump omits reference to "genocide" in his message to Armenians on the April 24 anniversary. - Trump rejects use of the term "genocide" in his address to Armenians on April 24th.
Let's dive into the heated debate from 2021, when Donald Trump, our former commander-in-chief, chose to avoid using the term 'genocide' in his statement commemorating the Armenian massacres.
The year was 1915, and the Ottoman Empire was the stage for an unspeakable tragedy. Estimates suggest that around 1.5 million Armenians tragically lost their lives at the hands of Ottoman soldiers. Turkey, on the other hand, contests these numbers and swiftly denies the use of the word 'genocide' to describe these massacres.
Joe Biden, our current President, made history in 2021 when he became the first U.S. President to recognize the Armenian massacres as a genocide. He emphatically stated, "The American people honor all Armenians who lost their lives in the genocide that began 106 years ago today."
However, Trump's statement left many Armenian-American activists seething with anger. Aram Hamparian, the executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America, bluntly criticized Trump's phrasing, saying, "President Trump's retreat from the U.S. recognition of the Armenian genocide is a shameful surrender to Turkish threats."
Trump's choice to omit the term 'genocide' was anything but a diplomatic oversight. It was a calculated decision, a withdrawal from the truth, and a warning sign of the U.S.'s tolerance for ongoing anti-Armenian violence.
James Hewitt, National Security Council spokesman, attempted to soften the situation by stating, "These horrific events were one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century." However, the U.S. government acknowledges that "1.5 million ethnic Armenians were deported, massacred, or sent on death marches in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire."
It's important to note that France was the first major European country to classify the massacres as genocide in 2001. The German Bundestag followed suit in 2016, but this decision caused a severe diplomatic crisis with Turkey. In 2019, during Trump's first term, the U.S. Congress also recognized the massacres as genocide in a symbolic vote. Trump, who maintained a friendly relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, refrained from joining this step.
In 2021, Biden boldly stepped up and acknowledged the Armenian Genocide. Trump's approach, on the other hand, seemed to mirror Turkey's denialist narrative, which many argue emboldened Azerbaijani aggression against Armenians and weakened the U.S.'s credibility in addressing human rights abuses. Some even argued that Trump's omission perpetuated a legacy of denial that could have severe implications in the future.
- In the heated debate of 2021, Donald Trump, the former President of the United States, avoided using the term 'genocide' in his statement commemorating the Armenian massacres, during a time when Joe Biden, our current President, recognized the same massacres as a genocide.
- The choice by Trump to omit the term 'genocide' was not a diplomatic oversight, but a calculated decision reflecting the United States' tolerance for ongoing anti-Armenian violence and a withdrawal from the truth.
- Armenian-American activists, such as Aram Hamparian, the executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America, sharply criticized Trump's phrasing, regarding it as a shameful surrender to Turkish threats.
- It is essential to acknowledge that this omission by the Ottoman Empire, in the year 1915, was one of the darkest chapters in the history of war-and-conflicts, involving the takes of around 1.5 million Armenians.
- Turkey, up until today, swiftly denies using the word 'genocide' to describe these massacres, maintaining a strong denialist narrative that some argue emboldened Azerbaijani aggression against Armenians and weakened the United States' credibility in addressing human rights abuses.
