ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) – The Latest on President Donald Trump honoring veterans on Memorial Day (all times local):
1:05 p.m.
President Donald Trump is being criticized for his self-congratulatory tone in a Memorial Day tweet in which he said “those who died for our great country would be very happy and proud at how well our country is doing today” and then cited the growing economy and low unemployment.
President Donald Trump gestures while speaking at the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, 2018 in Arlington, Va.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Trump sent the tweet Monday before heading to Arlington National Cemetery to pay tribute to those who died in service to the U.S.
Martin Dempsey, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Obama administration, tweeted: “This day, of all days of the year, should not be about any one of us.”
John Kirby, a State Department spokesman in the Obama administration, called Trump’s tweet “one of the most inappropriate, ignorant and tone-deaf things our Commander-in-Chief could have said on a day like today.”
___
12:05 p.m.
President Donald Trump says he’s come to the “sacred soil” of Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day to honor “the lives and deeds of America’s greatest heroes.”
He told an audience of Cabinet members, military leaders, veterans, families of the fallen and others gathered Tuesday in the marble amphitheater near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier that all Americans “strive to be worthy” of the sacrifice they made on behalf of a thankful nation.
Trump marked his second Memorial Day as commander in chief by laying a wreath at the tomb.
Before heading to the hallowed grounds across the Potomac River from the nation’s capital, Trump tweeted that “those who died for our great country would be very happy and proud at how well our country is doing today.”
___
11:45 a.m.
President Donald Trump has marked his second Memorial Day as commander in chief by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during a solemn ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.
He’s expected to make remarks before an audience in the nearby amphitheater.
Before heading to the hallowed grounds across the Potomac River from the nation’s capital, Trump said in a tweet that “those who died for our great country would be very happy and proud at how well our country is doing today.”
First lady Melania Trump tweeted her thanks to “all the service members & their families who sacrifice so much to keep us safe.”
Trump stood by Gen. Joseph Dunford, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis before laying the wreath.
___
10 a.m.
President Donald Trump is marking his second Memorial Day as commander in chief with a planned visit to Arlington National Cemetery and a salute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
He’s set to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Monday and then is expected to speak at a ceremony at the hallowed grounds across the Potomac River from the nation’s capital.
Before the late-morning activities at Arlington, Trump said in a tweet that “those who died for our great country would be very happy and proud at how well our country is doing today.”
First lady Melania Trump tweeted her thanks to “all the service members & their families who sacrifice so much to keep us safe.”
President Donald Trump pauses at the podium as he arrives for a ceremony at the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, 2018, in Arlington, Va.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, May 28, 2018, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
National security adviser John Bolton and his wife Greatchen Smith Bolton attend a wreath laying by President Donald Trump at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, May 28, 2018, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
People applaud as President Donald Trump speaks during a Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, May 28, 2018, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump participates in a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, May 28, 2018, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump speaks during a Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, May 28, 2018, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump speaks at the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, 2018 in Arlington, Va.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, right, with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in the center, at the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, 2018 in Arlington, Va.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump speaks at the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, 2018 in Arlington, Va.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump speaks at the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, 2018 in Arlington, Va.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Attorney General Jeff Sessions, right, with his wife Mary Blackshear Sessions, applaud as President Donald Trump speaks at the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, 2018 in Arlington, Va.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump speaks at the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, 2018 in Arlington, Va.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump, center, greets attendees as he departs the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, 2018 in Arlington, Va.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.