Trump hails cancelation of award ceremony for Tom Hanks

President Donald Trump cheered Monday after a West Point military academy ceremony honoring "Saving Private Ryan" star and frequent critic Tom Hanks was canceled.

The multiple Oscar-winning actor, also celebrated for producing the hit World War II series "Band of Brothers," was meant to be hosted by the academy's alumni association later this month.

However news emerged over the weekend that this had been abruptly scrapped.

Trump, who has overseen a purge of critics across civil society, said he was pleased.

"Our great West Point (getting greater all the time!) has smartly cancelled the Award Ceremony for actor Tom Hanks. Important move!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

"We don't need destructive, WOKE recipients getting our cherished American Awards!!!" the president wrote, in an apparent reference to Hanks' Democratic political leanings.

Hanks was due to receive the prestigious Sylvanus Thayer Award from the West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG) on September 25.

According to The Washington Post, an email from the alumni association announcing the change did not specify whether Hanks would still receive the award without the ceremony.

The Thayer award is given to "an outstanding citizen of the United States whose service and accomplishments in the national interest exemplify personal devotion to the ideals expressed in West Point's motto: 'Duty, Honor, Country,'" the WPAOG said when announcing Hanks as the 2025 recipient.

"Much of Hanks' five-decade career reflects his support of veterans, the military, and America's space program," it said.

The WPAOG did not immediately respond to a request for comment.