Trump's Tom Hanks Rant Is Practically Dripping With Jealousy

Donald Trump has a pattern of going after his opponents, no matter how loyal their own fanbase is; just look at Trump's attacks on Taylor Swift. And now he's going after Tom Hanks, one of America's favorite movie stars and one of the most down-to-earth celebrities. Trump recently gloated over a cancelled ceremony in Hanks' honor. In doing so, he not only came off as unpresidential to many, andhe also showed his ability to make everything about himself and his ongoing obsession with awards and recognition.

In June 2025, Hanks was announced as the recipient of the Sylvanus Thayer Award, which is given by the West Point alumni association to someone "whose outstanding character, accomplishments, and stature in the civilian community draw wholesome comparison to the qualities for which West Point strives, in keeping with its motto: 'Duty, Honor, Country,'" per the West Point Association of Graduates. However, the September 2025 ceremony in his honor was canceled. It's not clear if the actual award itself was rescinded or simply the ceremony, but either way, Trump was excited about it. In his Truth Social post about Hanks and the ceremony, he wrote, "We don't need destructive, WOKE recipients getting our cherished American Awards!!"

Perhaps Trump was salty that he wasn't given the award; in 2024, Barack Obama was the Sylvanus Thayer Award recipient, and Trump has famously disliked Obama for years. There's also the fact that Hanks supported Joe Biden and hosted a TV special in Washington D.C. for Biden's inauguration, so Trump could see the cancellation as a personal win. One person thought they knew the reason behind the post, saying on X (formerly known as Twitter): "Gee, let me guess. Hanks must have hurt Donnie's feelings at some point in time."

In his Truth Social post about Tom Hanks, Donald Trump also shared, "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!" Trump has often bashed awards shows on social media, but a comparison between the relatively unknown Sylvanus Thayer Award and the Academy Awards is certainly new. Shoehorning in the awards show reference only served to remind people of Hanks' impressive body of work; Hanks has won multiple awards, including two Oscars and seven Emmys. And while Trump didn't mention the Emmys specifically, he has famously been angry that "The Apprentice" was shut out of the TV awards.

Trump's post came off as bitter to plenty of people on social media. One person posted on X that Trump "can't hold a candle to what Tom Hanks has done for our veterans. Pure jealousy of someone with a pure heart and soul."  Hanks was given the award because of his philanthropic work, his career portrayals of those in the military, and his years long support for the nation's military and space exploration.

Hanks and his representatives have not yet commented on the ceremony cancellation nor Trump's response to it. The alumni association's reasoning for the cancellation was that it wanted to focus on preparing cadets for war, per The Washington Post. Some on social media think that it could have been direct pressure from Trump to cancel the ceremony, though that hasn't been confirmed.