Fact Check: Arlington National Cemetery reminded Donald Trump Jr. of his family's 'sacrifices,' he wrote
Donald Trump Jr. said driving through Arlington National Cemetery reminded him of "all the sacrifices we'd have to make — giving up a huge chunk of our business and all international deals."
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According to internet rumors, Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of U.S. President Donald Trump, said a visit to Virginia's Arlington National Cemetery conjured reflection on the hardships and sacrifices his family has faced over the years.
Arlington National Cemetery's website describes the site as a place to honor "those who have served our nation. … This impressive landscape serves as a tribute to the service and sacrifice of every individual laid to rest within these hallowed grounds."
While this particular rumor about Trump Jr. has percolated online for years, it resurfaced in May 2025 following criticism of a social media post by the president on Memorial Day that offered scathing remarks about his political opponents rather than reflecting the purpose of Memorial Day to honor fallen service members.
Many posts sharing the claim, such as those on TikTok (archived) and Facebook (archived), quoted the junior Trump as saying, "As we drove past the rows of white grave markers … I also thought of … all the sacrifices we'd have to make — giving up a huge chunk of our business and all international deals."
This quote is correctly attributed to Donald Trump Jr. He wrote those words in his 2019 book, "Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us."
The full passage from the book read:
Meanwhile, it also took two months for me to realize the enormity of what my father had accomplished, and the weight of the job that he'd won. It was the day before the inauguration, and we were driving into Arlington National Cemetery, where he was to lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I rarely get emotional, if ever. I guess you'd call me hyper-rational, stoic. Yet, as we drove past the rows of white grave markers, in the gravity of the moment, I had a deep sense of the importance of the presidency and a love of our country. I was never prouder of my father than when I watched as he stood before the tomb, his hand over his heart, while the Army bugler played "Taps."
In that moment, I also thought of all the attacks we'd already suffered as a family, and about all the sacrifices we'd have to make to help my father succeed — voluntarily giving up a huge chunk of our business and all international deals to avoid the appearance that we were "profiting off the office."
We're not talking about business with any foreign government agencies. This was based on the idea that we might be taken advantage of by a private business that would then have leverage on us. First of all, I don't think Trump Org has ever gotten duped by anyone and, second, the chances of something like that even being attempted are pretty remote. Frankly, it was a big sacrifice, costing us millions and millions of dollars annually, a huge book of business that I had personally built.
But it was a sacrifice we were more than happy and willing to make. Of course, we didn't get any credit whatsoever from the mainstream media, which now does not surprise me at all.
("Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us")
Political commentators and veterans criticized Trump's comments at the time of the book's publication.
Vanity Fair ran an opinion piece with the headline "Donald Trump Jr. Thinks Not Doing Foreign Deals is the Same as Dying in Battle." The BBC reported: "Arizona Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego, who fought in Iraq, responded on Twitter: 'Eight men I served with are buried in Section 60 of Arlington' … 'I visit them monthly. Even if Donald Jr lived a 1,000 years, he will never even get close to being as good and honourable as they were.'"
Salon's managing editor wrote that the book "finds the son of the most powerful man in the world complaining that his family is the victim of unfair attacks. In one passage, Don Jr. refutes critics who have called his father 'racist' by pointing out that Trump allowed him and Eric to play with Michael Jackson as children and let him go on vacation with former NFL star Herschel Walker."
Snopes also has reported on Donald Trump Jr.'s comments questioning why "Dr. Jill Biden" missed former President Joe Biden's cancer.
Arlington Cemetery Dead Remind Trump Jr of His Father's "Sacrifices." 8 Nov. 2019. www.bbc.com, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50338236.
Christensen, Laerke. "Trump Wished Happy Memorial Day to 'scum' That Spent Last 4 Years 'Trying to Destroy Our Country.'" Snopes, 27 May 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/trump-memorial-day-message/.
Derysh, Igor. "Don Jr. Says Fallen Troops at Arlington National Cemetery Remind Him of Trump Family's 'Sacrifices.'" Salon, 8 Nov. 2019, https://www.salon.com/2019/11/08/don-jr-says-fallen-troops-at-arlington-national-cemetery-remind-him-of-trump-familys-sacrifices/.
Levin, Bess. "Don Jr. Thinks Not Doing Foreign Deals Is the Same as Dying in Battle." Vanity Fair, 7 Nov. 2019, https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/11/donald-trump-jr-arlington-national-cemetery.
Member, Politics Newsweek Is A. Trust Project. "Veteran Tells Trump Jr. to Join Military If He Wants to Know 'Sacrifice.'" Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2019, https://www.newsweek.com/veteran-paul-rieckhoff-donald-trump-jr-join-military-sacrifice-triggered-book-1471015.
Trump, Donald. Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us. First edition., Center Street, 2019.
"Trump Honors Fallen Soldiers on Memorial Day, While Attacking Biden and Judges." AP News, 26 May 2025, https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-arlington-memorial-day-eeb602e8b4521ba2b7c79d2447dfefab.
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