FACT CHECK: President Trump Has Acknowledged the Historical Slaughter of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire
Shane Trejo
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The Trump administration is being widely accused by the fake news of refusing to acknowledge the Armenian genocide at the behest of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In actuality, President Trump has acknowledged the historical slaughter of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire. He has not changed his position based on a resolution that was passed by the Senate acknowledging the Armenian genocide last week.
“The position of the Administration has not changed,” said White House spokesperson Morgan Ortagus in a statement to the Hill. “Our views are reflected in the President’s definitive statement on the issue from last April.”
Trump said during Armenian Remembrance Day on April 24 that 1.5 million Armenians were “deported, massacred or marched to their deaths” starting in 1915 by the Ottoman Empire. He did not refer to the incident as a genocide, but never denied that the slaughter in fact occurred.
The resolution that acknowledges the Armenian genocide was passed in bipartisan fashion last week in the Senate, with Republican and Democratic Senators applauding the effort to recognize the gruesome historical event that the Turks want to minimize. The resolution had previously passed the House in October.
“I’m thankful that this resolution has passed at a time in which there are still survivors of the genocide who will be able to see that the Senate acknowledges what they went through,” Sen. Bob Melendez (D-NJ) said on the Senate floor.
“This is the third week in a row we have come to the Senate floor seeking to pass this resolution, and I’m grateful that today we have succeeded,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said as the resolution was passed. “This is a moment of truth that was far too long coming.”
The resolution reads in part as follows:
That it is the sense of the Senate that it is the policy of the United States—
(1) to commemorate the Armenian Genocide through official recognition and remembrance;
(2) to reject efforts to enlist, engage, or otherwise associate the United States Government with denial of the Armenian Genocide or any other genocide; and
(3) to encourage education and public understanding of the facts of the Armenian Genocide, including the role of the United States in humanitarian relief efforts, and the relevance of the Armenian Genocide to modern-day crimes against humanity.
Erdogan is livid about the passage of the resolution, and vows to punish the U.S. for acknowledging his country’s role in some of the most ghastly atrocities in history.
“We should oppose [the US] by reciprocating such decisions in parliament. And that is what we will do,” Erdogan said while appearing on the A Haber news channel.
“Can we speak about America without mentioning [Native Americans]? It is a shameful moment in US history,” he added.
President Trump is in a tough position with Turkey being a key strategic ally and a NATO partner. Still, reports from the fake news media that Trump is denying the Armenian genocide are inaccurate, as the President has in fact acknowledged the mass slaughter of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire.
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