US President Donald Trump at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during Monday’s Memorial Day ceremony in Arlington, expressed enthusiasm for a series of major national events scheduled over the coming years. Highlighting the US Army’s 250th anniversary parade set for June 14—coinciding with his 79th birthday—Trump said, “We’re going to have a big, big celebration.” He added with a hint of humor, “I’m glad I missed that second term … because I wouldn’t be your president for that.”
Trump, who lost the 2020 election, acknowledged that had he won a consecutive second term, he would have missed this historic milestone. He also noted other upcoming global events that the US will play a major role in, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which the United States will cohost with Canada and Mexico, and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
“We have the 250th birthday of our country next year. The World Cup. The Olympics. Can you imagine? I missed that four years. And now look what I have,” Trump teased celebrations ahead.
A divine plan?
Reflecting on these significant events happening under his current timeline, Trump attributed the alignment to divine intervention. “Now look what I have,” he said. “I have everything. Amazing the way things work out. God did that.”
Trump was joined by Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
During his address, Trump commemorated the service and sacrifice of several fallen heroes, highlighting the stories of Gold Star families in attendance.
“We just revere their incredible legacy,” Trump said. “We salute them in their eternal and everlasting glory. And we continue our relentless pursuit of America’s destiny as we make our nation stronger, prouder, freer and greater than ever before.”
Among the heroes remembered was Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent, killed in a 2019 suicide bombing in Syria during her fifth deployment. “She was among the first women ever to do it, and she did it better than anyone,” Trump said, calling out her family for a round of applause.
He also shared the story of Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Elroy Harworth, whose plane was shot down in Vietnam. His son, now an Army veteran of 20 years, received cheers from the audience. Another tribute was paid to Army Cpl. Ryan McGhee, who enlisted after the September 11 attacks and died in a firefight in Iraq at just 21. “He gave his life at 21 years old,” Trump said solemnly.
Vance urges caution in war
Vice President JD Vance, speaking before Trump, struck a solemn tone, emphasising the human cost of military decisions.
“The lesson of all these gravestones is: We must be cautious in sending our people to war,” he said. “We must treat the lives of our soldiers as the most precious resource.”
Trump’s Memorial Day message on social media
Trump began Memorial Day with an all-caps social media post that struck a drastically different tone, calling Biden “scum” and branding judges who blocked his deportation orders as “monsters who want our country to go to hell.”
Vance, addressing Naval Academy graduates last week, had underlined the true meaning of the holiday. “You will learn as I have that when people say things like ‘Happy Memorial Day,’ you appreciate the sentiment behind it but know that it’s wrong because Memorial Day is not a happy day.”
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