By Kevin Lamarque and Trevor Hunnicutt
YEREVAN, Feb 10 (Reuters) – The White House on Tuesday deleted a social media post from Vice President JD Vance’s account that commemorated massacres of Armenians as a “genocide,” saying the message, which contradicts the stance of U.S.-allied Turkey, was posted in error.
Vance, who was on a two-day trip to Armenia, visited the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial in the capital Yerevan during the first visit by a U.S. vice president to the South Caucasus republic.
Vance’s official account on X described the visit as intended “to honor the victims of the 1915 Armenian genocide,” and then deleted the post. A Vance aide who declined to be named said the message was posted in error by staff who were not part of the traveling delegation.
The incident marked the second time in days that the Trump administration has deleted a social media post. Late last week, the White House defended, and then deleted, a post to President Donald Trump’s Truth Social account that included a racist depiction of former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama as apes. Trump later told reporters he had not watched the entire video before a White House aide posted it to his account.
The social media post on Tuesday reflected Vance and his wife Usha’s participation in a ceremonial laying of a wreath of carnations, chrysanthemums and roses at the memorial site, which honors the 1.5 million Armenians who lost their lives in the final years of the Turkish-led Ottoman Empire.
“This is an account managed by staff that primarily exists to share photos and videos of the vice president’s activities,” said a spokesperson for Vance, adding that his views were best described by his own remarks to reporters. In those remarks, the Republican politician did not use the word “genocide.”
TRUMP’S TIES TO TURKEY
Turkey accepts that many Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were killed in clashes with Ottoman forces during World War One, but contests the figures and denies the killings were systematically orchestrated and constitute a genocide.
Although the U.S. Congress and Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, have both recognized the 1915 massacres as a genocide, Trump did not use that language in his own statement on the killings last year.
Turkey is a NATO ally of the United States and President Tayyip Erdogan has maintained close ties with Trump, including supporting the U.S. diplomatic initiative on Gaza.
The Turkish foreign ministry and the Armenian embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.
The White House said there had been “no change of policy at this time” since Trump’s 2025 statement on the historical incident, which did not include the word “genocide.”
Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, asked whether the White House had a broader problem with its social media protocols, said “no.”
The White House’s handling of the situation drew criticism from some Democratic lawmakers and members of the Armenian diaspora in the United States.
“Vance is a coward for deleting this post,” said Alex Galitsky, policy director for the Armenian National Committee of America, an advocacy group, on X, adding that it was an “insult to the memory” of those who had died.
VANCE’S VISIT TO ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN
In Armenia, Vance signed a deal with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan that could pave the way for the U.S. to build a nuclear power plant there.
Asked by a reporter whether his visit to the memorial was intended to recognize a genocide, Vance said: “Obviously, it’s a very terrible thing that happened little over 100 years ago, and something that was just very, very important to them culturally.
“So I thought out of a sign of respect, both for the victims, but also for the Armenian government that’s been a very important partner for us in the region, to Prime Minister Pashinyan, I wanted to go and pay a visit and pay my respects.”
Vance’s visit was aimed at promoting agreements the Trump administration struck with Armenia and Azerbaijan to build towards peace after nearly 40 years of war between the Caucasus rivals. Trump has presented those diplomatic efforts as among the chief accomplishments of his time in office.
On Tuesday, Vance traveled to Azerbaijan and signed a strategic partnership deal encompassing economic and security cooperation, as Washington seeks to expand its influence in a region where Russia was once the main power broker.
(Reporting by Kevin Lamarque in Yerevan, Armenia, and Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington; Additional reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu in Ankara; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Mark Heinrich, Edmund Klamann, Rod Nickel)
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