Trump marks Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery
"Every day the Republic stands is only possible because of those who did what had to be done when duty called," Mr. Trump said. "Our debt to them is eternal, and it does not diminish with time. It only grows and grows and grows with each passing year. The greatest monument to their courage is not carved in marble or cast in bronze. It's all around us, an American nation, 325 million strong."
Before his remarks, the president laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a somber annual tradition for presidents, and one Mr. Trump participated in during his first term as president. He was accompanied by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who stood behind him as he placed the wreath.
"Each life honored here in Arlington was once full of the ordinary moments and quiet dreams of early sunrises, of good days and bad days, of celebrations and disappointments," Vance said. "For my fellow Americans, especially those watching on television, consider the sum of all the moments that make a good life, and now appreciate that countless strangers — people most of you never met — they gave up those moments in their own life so that we could enjoy them in ours. And that is what Memorial Day is all about."
Early Monday, Mr. Trump posted a message on his social media platform Truth Social about Memorial Day, writing in all caps that he wished a "happy Memorial Day to all," including the "scum that spent the last four years trying to destroy our country through warped radical left minds." He went on to target immigration policies and accused "USA-hating judges who suffer from an ideology that is sick, and very dangerous for our country" of protecting criminals.
Memorial Day honors those who died in uniform as a result of battle. Since the Revolutionary War, the Department of Veterans Affairs estimates more than 650,000 U.S. military personnel have died in battle.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, completed in 1932, represents the burial site of a soldier from World War I whose remains could not be identified. Unknown remains from later wars were added in 1958 and 1984.
Earlier this month, the president proclaimed on Truth Social that the U.S. will designate new holidays to commemorate the end of World War I and World War II in Europe.
"All over the World, the Allies are celebrating the Victory we had in World War II. The only Country that doesn't celebrate is the United States of America, and the Victory was only accomplished because of us," Mr. Trump said in that post.
"I am hereby declaring a National Holiday in celebration of the Victories of World War I, where the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918, and World War II, where the Victory date was May 8, 1945," he wrote.
Nov. 11 is already a federal holiday, known as Veterans Day. May, 8, 1945, is generally known as Victory in Europe Day, or V-E Day, since the war in the Pacific lasted until the Japanese surrendered, which was announced on Aug. 14, 1945.
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