‘Important Move!’: Trump Crows As West Point Axes Award Ceremony For ‘Woke’ Tom Hanks

President Donald Trump took a moment on Monday to cheer the cancellation of a planned award ceremony for Academy Award-winning actor and director Tom Hanks, saying that it was a step in the right direction for the United States Military Academy to step away from granting awards to “destructive, WOKE recipients.”

Trump touted the move in a post shared first on his Truth Social platform, where he also ripped into the Academy Awards and suggested that the annual award show broadcasts would likely achieve better ratings if they steered clear of woke culture as well.

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— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 8, 2025

“Our great West Point (getting greater all the time!) has smartly cancelled the Award Ceremony for actor Tom Hanks. Important move!” Trump crowed. “We don’t need destructive, WOKE recipients getting our cherished American Awards!!! Hopefully the Academy Awards, and other Fake Award Shows, will review their Standards and Practices in the name of Fairness and Justice. Watch their DEAD RATINGS SURGE!”

The ceremony, which was set to take place on September 25, was supposed to honor Hanks with the prestigious Sylvanus Thayer Award — given to an “outstanding citizen” based on their commitment to upholding the standards put forth by West Point: Duty, Honor, Country.

As reported Saturday by The Washington Post, Army Col. (Ret.) Mark Bieger announced the ceremony’s cancellation in an email to faculty on Friday, saying, “This decision allows the Academy to continue its focus on its core mission of preparing cadets to lead, fight, and win as officers in the world’s most lethal force, the United States Army.”

The West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG) announced that Hanks was to receive the award in June. At the time, WPAOG Board Chairman Robert A. McDonald, Class of 1975, said of the actor, “Tom Hanks has done more for the positive portrayal of the American service member, more for the caring of the American veteran, their caregivers and their family, and more for the American space program and all branches of government than many other Americans.”

Hanks, at the time, responded, “To have my first ever visit to the Academy be to accept such an honor as the Thayer Award is simply astounding. West Point’s legacy of leadership, character, and service to the nation is a powerful example for all Americans. To be recognized by an institution whose graduates have shaped our country’s history through selfless service is both humbling and meaningful.”

The actor has not yet responded to the news that the ceremony has been canceled, and it was unclear in the initial reports whether Hanks might still receive the award at a different time. Previous Thayer Award recipients include former President Barack Obama (2024), former President George W. Bush (2017), actor Gary Sinise (2015), former President Ronald Reagan (1989), and famed World War II Army aviator James Doolittle (1983), among others.