Vance’s deleted Genocide post draws global media attention

PanARMENIAN.Net - The deletion of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance’s original post on X, made after his visit to the Armenian Genocide Memorial, has sparked significant attention in international media, Armenpress reports.

Outlets including Bloomberg, CNN, Reuters, The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Times, The Independent, The Times of Israel, and various Russian media have all covered the incident.

CNN reported that it asked White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt about the post. She emphasized that there has been no change in the U.S. administration’s official policy:

“As for the tweet from Armenia you referenced, I would refer you to the statement released by the White House on Armenian Remembrance Day. At this time, there has been no change in policy,” Leavitt said during a February 10 press briefing.

Reuters cited a spokesperson for Vance, who said the original post was published in error by a staff member who was not part of the official delegation to Armenia.

“This is a staff-managed account primarily used to share photos and videos of the Vice President’s engagements,” the spokesperson stated, adding that Vance’s views are best reflected in his direct statements to the press.

While departing Armenia, Vance also addressed the topic during a conversation with journalists at Zvartnots Airport. As quoted by The Associated Press, he said his visit to the Tsitsernakaberd memorial was made at the suggestion of the Armenian side:

“They said, ‘This is a very important place for us.’ And obviously, I am the first (U.S.) Vice President ever to visit Armenia. They asked us to visit the site. Clearly, something very horrific happened just over a hundred years ago, and that’s very, very important to them culturally.”

On February 10, J.D. Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial, laid a wreath at the monument honoring the victims of the Armenian Genocide, and placed flowers at the eternal flame. The deleted post had described the site as the ‘Armenian Genocide Memorial’ and noted they were honoring the victims of the 1915 genocide. Later, Vance shared a revised post quoting his spokesperson and including photos and a copy of his memorial book message.