The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) has strongly condemned President Donald Trump’s “disgraceful retreat” from recognizing the Armenian Genocide, expressed in the White House’s annual April 24 statement. Trump refrained from using the term “genocide” and did not mention the 110th anniversary of the systematic extermination of 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turkey, apparently due to Turkish pressure.

“President Trump’s failure to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide is a shameful concession to Turkish threats and a troubling cancellation of our nation's responsibility to stop the continued genocidal aggression by Azerbaijan and Turkey against Christian Armenians,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

“In light of the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh’s indigenous Christian Armenian population, the ongoing abuse of Armenian prisoners, the destruction of Armenian Christian heritage, and the occupation of sovereign Armenian territories, President Trump must not only truthfully recognize the 1915 Armenian Genocide but also act to prevent its continuation by Turkey and Azerbaijan,” Hamparian added.

He noted that during his 2024 campaign, Trump had assured on social media that he intended to “restore peace to the South Caucasus and stop violence and ethnic cleansing.” Yet, the omission of the term “genocide” starkly contradicts this pledge.

Hamparian stressed that “President Trump’s omission is not a diplomatic slip but a deliberate retreat from the truth and a dangerous signal of U.S. tolerance toward continued violence against Armenians. It mirrors the shameful silence and complacency of his first administration.”

Trump also failed to recognize the Armenian Genocide during his first term, while providing unprecedented military aid to Azerbaijan amid its attacks on the Armenian population of Artsakh, which were widely described as genocidal.

The documented war crimes committed by Azerbaijan in 2020—including the torture of prisoners of war, killing of civilians, and destruction of Armenian Christian heritage—have been broadly viewed as precursors to the genocidal ethnic cleansing in Artsakh in 2023.

Trump’s continued refusal to recognize the Genocide contradicts prior acknowledgments by the White House, the U.S. Congress, and all 50 U.S. states.

ANCA reaffirmed its call for Trump to honor his campaign promises and initiate a fundamental reassessment of U.S. policy toward Turkey and the South Caucasus—to end the normalization of genocide denial, hold perpetrators accountable, and ensure a just peace and the right of return for the Christian Armenians of Artsakh.