00:00President Donald Trump is weighing in after an alumni group at West Point
00:04canceled an award ceremony that was supposed to honor actor and veterans advocate Tom Hanks.
00:12The Washington Post confirms the event scheduled for September 25th was scrapped so the academy
00:18could prioritize preparing cadets for future leadership in the U.S. Army. On Truth Social,
00:24Trump wrote early Monday, our great West Point has smartly canceled the award ceremony for actor
00:30Tom Hanks. Important move. We don't need destructive, woke recipients getting our cherished American
00:36awards. There's no direct clash between the president and Hanks, but similar to other
00:42celebrities Trump has commented on, the Oscar winner has long supported Democratic politics.
00:47He endorsed Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and hosted an inauguration event following
00:52former President Biden's 2020 win. More recently, he played a Trump supporter in SNL's 50th anniversary
00:58sketch. They out here saying that every vote counts. Oh, Doug again. What is, come on,
01:04they already decided who wins the report happens. Yes! And last June, Hanks spoke with CNN during
01:10D-Day commemorations about whether he worries about another Trump term. I think there's always reason
01:15to be worried about the short term, but I look at the longer term of what happened. When the award
01:20was announced in June, the Academy lavished praise on Hanks, with the board's chairman writing,
01:26Tom Hanks has done more for the positive portrayal of the American service member,
01:30more for the caring of the American veteran, their caregivers, and their family, and more for the
01:35American space program in all branches of government than many other Americans.
01:40The Washington Post reports the email did not say whether the award was fully revoked or would be
01:46presented another way, but an official told NPR, Hanks will still receive the honor.
01:51With Stray Arrow news, I'm Kennedy Felton. Download our app or visit san.com for more.
Comments