Trump weighs in after West Point Alumni group reportedly cancels Tom Hanks awards ceremony Anna Kaufman, USA TODAYSeptember 9, 2025 at 12:48 AM 0 The alumni association for the U.S.
- - Trump weighs in after West Point Alumni group reportedly cancels Tom Hanks awards ceremony
Anna Kaufman, USA TODAYSeptember 9, 2025 at 12:48 AM
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The alumni association for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point has reportedly canceled a scheduled awards ceremony slated to celebrate actor Tom Hanks.
Hanks, who was set to receive the military academy's Sylvanus Thayer Award Sept. 25, will no longer be honored, NPR and The Washington Post report. The Thayer Award is doled out annually to "an outstanding citizen … whose service and accomplishments in the national interest exemplify personal devotion to the ideals expressed in West Point's motto: 'Duty, Honor, Country,'" according to a release on the military academy's website.
USA TODAY has reached out to West Point and Hanks's rep for comment.
The decision to cancel the ceremony for Hanks, who has criticized President Donald Trump in the past, comes on the heels of a tumultuous transition for the academy under the new administration.
Tom Hanks attends the world premiere of "Billy Joel: And So It Goes" presented on the opening night of the Tribeca Festival, at the Beacon Theatre in New York City on June 4, 2025.
Trump weighed in on the flip-flop with a Sept. 8 post to Truth Social, lauding the academy for its cancellation and deriding Hanks as "woke" and "destructive."
"Our great West Point (getting greater all the time!) has smartly cancelled the Award Ceremony for actor Tom Hanks. Important move!" the president wrote. "We don't need destructive, WOKE recipients getting our cherished American Awards!!! 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!"
The academy pulling the plug marks a remarkable shift in tone from the original announcement in June. At the time, a post to West Point's website chronicled Hanks' long career in both acting and activism, and celebrated his contributions to the American image.
"Tom Hanks has done more for the positive portrayal of the American service member, more for the caring of the American veteran, their caregivers and their family, and more for the American space program and all branches of government than many other Americans," West Point Association of Graduates Chairman Robert A. McDonald wrote in the release.
"To have my first ever visit to the Academy be to accept such an honor as the Thayer Award is simply astounding. West Point's legacy of leadership, character, and service to the nation is a powerful example for all Americans," Hanks said in the release. "To be recognized by an institution whose graduates have shaped our country's history through selfless service is both humbling and meaningful."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump blasts Tom Hanks after West Point Alumni group cancels award
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