Why is Donald Trump taking shots at Tom Hanks?

Published on 09/09/2025 - 11:23 GMT+2

Donald Trump has deed retired against Oscar-winning character Tom Hanks, referring to nan beloved creator arsenic “destructive” and “woke”.

This follows nan cancellation – reported by The Washington Post – of an awards ceremonial by the US Military Academy (or West Point) last week.

Hanks, who has a agelong history of advocating for veterans, was expected to person nan 2025 Sylvanus Thayer Award connected 25 September for his “service and accomplishments successful nan nationalist interest”.

“Tom Hanks has done much for nan affirmative portrayal of nan American work member, much for nan caring of nan American veteran, their caregivers and their family, and much for nan American abstraction programme and each branches of authorities than galore different Americans,” relation committee president Robert McDonald said successful a June property merchandise astir nan award.

Retired Army Col. Mark Bieger, president and main executive serviceman of nan association, shared that nan cancellation would let nan institution to “continue its attraction connected its halfway ngo of preparing cadets to lead, conflict and triumph arsenic officers successful nan world’s astir lethal force, nan United States Army.”

No further elaboration was provided arsenic to really nan awards ceremonial cancellation for 1 of nan US’s astir dressed up actors and nan “focus connected its halfway mission” are successful immoderate measurement connected.

Trump has now celebrated nan snub, penning connected Truth Social: “Our awesome West Point (getting greater each nan time!) has smartly cancelled nan Award Ceremony for character Tom Hanks. We don’t request destructive, WOKE recipients getting our cherished American Awards!!! Hopefully nan Academy Awards, and different Fake Award Shows, will reappraisal their Standards and Practices successful nan sanction of Fairness and Justice. Watch their DEAD RATINGS SURGE!"

West Point has go a focal constituent of nan White House’s continued crusade to purge nan federation of everything “woke”. Indeed, nan Trump management has continued to push to destruct diverseness programs passim government, and earlier this year, West Point disbanded respective cadet clubs centered connected ethnicity, gender, title and sexuality.

In March, Trump signed an executive bid titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” which accused nan Smithsonian of coming nether nan power of a “divisive, race-centered ideology” and called upon it to “remove improper ideology” from its museums.

Last month, we besides reported really Trump had unveiled nan slate of stars who will beryllium honoured astatine nan 48th Kennedy Center Honors later this year. They see rockers Kiss, Rocky character Sylvester Stallone and ‘I Will Survive’ vocalist Gloria Gaynor. Trump stated that he “turned down plenty” of candidates for nan honours database because of their politics: “They were excessively woke."

It was reported that Tom Cruise declined nan life accomplishment award.

Last year’s recipient of nan Sylvanus Thayer Award was erstwhile President Barack Obama.

As for Hanks, he has already been inducted arsenic an honorary personnel to nan US Army’s Ranger Hall of Fame and, successful 2016, nan character received nan Presidential Medal of Freedom.