Why the words ‘Armenian genocide’ matter after Vance social media reference is deleted

U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s team posted and then deleted a message on social media about the Republican’s visit to a memorial paying tribute to early 20th century Armenians killed by the Ottoman Empire.

The issue was the post using the term “Armenian genocide,” a designation the U.S. government historically has not used for what happened, with a notable exception by the Biden administration. The White House blamed a staff mistake.

Here are some questions and answers about what that means, what Vance himself did and didn’t say, and why it matters.

Vance visited a site called the Armenian Genocide Memorial, Armenia’s official national monument, remembering its citizens who died under the Ottoman Empire’s brutal control during World War I.

The initial post on Vance’s official X account stated that he was visiting the memorial “to honor the victims of the Armenian genocide.” It was replaced with a second post that showed what he wrote in the guest book as well as a clip of the vice president and Usha Vance laying flowers at the memorial.

Vance, the first U.S. vice president to visit Armenia, was in the country as part of the Trump administration's follow-up to a U.S.-brokered deal aimed at ending a decades-long conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, where Vance traveled later Tuesday.

“Genocide” is a fraught and legally distinct term that national governments, international bodies and media organizations use carefully.

The United Nations in 1948 defined genocide “to mean certain acts, enumerated in Article II, committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such,” according to the U.S. State Department's long-held understanding.

It is not questioned that many thousands of Armenian citizens, most of them Christians, died at the direction of the Committee of Union and Progress that led the Muslim government in Constantinople, now known as Istanbul.

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum estimates that “at least 664,000 and possibly as many as 1.2 million” died.

But the U.S. government has historically not recognized what happened as a “genocide” out of fear of alienating Turkey, a key U.S. ally in the region. In 2021, then-President Joe Biden formally recognized that the systematic killings and deportations of hundreds of thousands of Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces were a part of a “genocide.”

Turkey reacted with fury at the time. The foreign minister said his country “will not be given lessons on our history from anyone.”

People of Armenian descent recall the victims with memorials and an annual day of remembrance observed around the world, including in the U.S.

Vance was asked specifically on Tuesday about his visit to the memorial and whether he was “recognizing” genocide.

He avoided using the word and said he went to “pay my respects” at the invitation of his host, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and his government.

“They said this is a very important site for us, and obviously I’m the first (U.S.) vice president to ever visit Armenia,” Vance said. “They asked us to visit the site. Obviously, it’s a very terrible thing that happened a little over a hundred years ago and something that’s very, very important to them culturally.”

Vance added that it was “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.”

The White House blamed the original post on a staff member. It’s the second time in less than a week that the West Wing has blamed an unnamed aide for a controversy over a social media post. Last Friday, it was a racist video that Trump had shared on his Truth Social account that depicted former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama as jungle primates.

The White House defended that post initially before deleting it after a cascade of criticism.

It’s not yet clear whether there will be any diplomatic consequences. Vance, for his part, seemed determined to keep the focus on the original mission of his trip.

“I think the president struck a great peace deal. I think the administration is really making it stick,” Vance said.

Still, there is the political question of whether Armenian Americans react, with the rhetorical boomerang offering one more reminder of how reluctant the U.S. has been to use the word “genocide” to describe what Armenians remember that way.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance hold flowers as they walk towards the eternal flame at the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan, Armenia Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance gets out of a car before boarding Air Force Two upon departure for Azerbaijan, at Zvartnots International Airport in Yerevan, Armenia, Tuesday Feb. 10, 2026. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance takes part in the wreath-laying ceremony during a visit to the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan, Armenia Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance speaks to the media before boarding Air Force Two upon departure for Azerbaijan, at Zvartnots International Airport in Yerevan, Armenia, Tuesday Feb. 10, 2026. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP)

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Cincinnati catcher Tyler Stephenson beat the Reds in salary arbitration on Tuesday, and pitcher Dylan Lee defeated the Atlanta Braves.

The Los Angeles Angels beat left-hander Reid Detmers, leaving players ahead 7-2 this winter with four cases remaining.

Stephenson will earn $6.8 million instead of the team’s offer of $6.55 million in a decision by Josh Gordon, Allen Ponak and Chris Cameron, who heard arguments Monday.

Lee gets a $2.2 million salary rather than the club's offer of $2 million. His case was heard by Jeanne Vonhof, Paul Radvany and Margie Brogan on Jan. 30.

Detmers will receive the Angels' $2,625,000 proposal rather than his $2,925,000 request in a case decided by Robert Herman, Samantha Tower and Scott Buchheit.

Stephenson hit .239 with 13 homers and 50 RBIs in 88 games last year. He was sidelined from mid-March until May 2 by a strained left oblique and between Aug. 15 and Sept. 5 by a broken left thumb sustained while catching a pitch from Hunter Greene during a game against Milwaukee.

Stephenson, who earned $4,925,000 last year, turns 30 in August and can become a free agent after this year’s World Series. He has a .261 batting average with 63 homers and 258 RBIs in six major league seasons, all with the Reds.

The 31-year-old Lee was 2-4 with a 3.29 ERA and two saves in 74 relief appearances last season, when the left-hander earned $1,025,000.

Detmers, 26, was moved to the bullpen last year and went 5-3 with a 3.96 ERA and three saves in 61 relief appearances. He earned $1,825,000.

Detmers pitched a no-hitter against Tampa Bay on May 10, 2022, in his 11th major league start. He is 21-31 with a 4.77 ERA in five major league seasons with the Angels.

Kansas City All-Star left-hander Kris Bubic had his hearing Tuesday, asking for $6.15 million instead of the Royals’ $5.15 million offer. A decision by Margaret Brogan, Brian Keller and Janice Johnston is expected Wednesday, along with the ruling for a previously argued case involving Toronto left-hander Eric Lauer ($5.75 million vs. $4.4 million).

Bubic, 28, was 8-7 with a 2.55 ERA in 20 starts last year, setting career bests for wins and ERA. He didn’t pitch after July 26 because of a strained left rotator cuff.

Bubic had a $3 million salary last year and can become a free agent after this year’s World Series. He is 19-36 with a 4.14 ERA in six major league seasons, all with the Royals.

Two players remain scheduled for hearings this week: Milwaukee catcher Willson Contreras ($9.9 million vs. $8.55 million) and Miami right-hander Calvin Faucher ($2.05 million vs. $1.8 million).

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

FILE - Cincinnati Reds' Tyler Stephenson rounds first on his way three-run double during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sept. 15, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)