By Paul Vartan Sookiasian
In his April 24th statement, U.S. President Donald Trump once again declined to use the term “genocide” to describe the 1915 killing of more than one million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.
This language mirrors his statements during his first term, but marks a departure from his successor Joe Biden, who consistently used the term “genocide” starting with his first statement in 2021. Biden’s choice of language aligned with bipartisan resolutions passed by the U.S. House in 2019 and the Senate in 2020.
Instead, Trump referred to the events as the “Meds Yeghern,” an Armenian phrase meaning “Great Crime,” as he did in his first term. This euphemistic terminology, first utilized by President Barack Obama to avoid straining relations with Turkey, was widely criticized by the Armenian-American community as failing to live up to his 2008 pledge as a candidate to call it a genocide.
Trump has frequently praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and just two weeks ago referred to him as “very smart” while suggesting the United States could serve as a mediator in repairing the strained relations between Ankara and Jerusalem.
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) swiftly condemned Trump’s language, calling it a “shameful retreat from American recognition and remembrance of the Armenian Genocide.”
“President Trump’s retreat from U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide represents a disgraceful surrender to Turkish threats – a shameful abrogation of our nation’s responsibility to prevent Azerbaijan and Turkey’s ongoing genocidal aggression against Christian Armenians,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.
Hamparian argued that Trump has a duty to acknowledge the 1915 genocide and take steps to prevent its recurrence, particularly in light of “Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing of Artsakh’s indigenous Christian Armenian population” and “ongoing abuse of Armenian prisoners” and destruction of Christian heritage sites.
In fact, during his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump pledged on social media to “restore peace in the South Caucasus and stop the violence and ethnic cleansing.” The ANCA described today’s statement as “a direct contradiction to that promise.”
In comparing the 2025 statement to ones from Trump’s first term (ex. 2017, 2020), much of the text is identical. Their descriptions of the events of 1915 are otherwise historically accurate, despite the lack of the word genocide.
One notable change, however, is the omission of a closing paragraph included in previous statements, which had “welcomed efforts by the Armenians and Turks to acknowledge and reckon with their painful history.”
In its place, the 2025 statement endorses the strategic partnership agreement signed between Armenia and the Biden administration in January during Biden’s final days in office. It concludes by stating that the Trump administration looks forward to “upholding regional stability as we continue to pursue enduring prosperity and security.”
In addition, while the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan used the term Armenian Genocide in its social media post last year, it is missing from this year’s post, indicating a shift in national policy.
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