Some people are making fun of it, and some are making fun of the president.
President Biden ended his five-day trip to France on Sunday and made a point to visit the cemetery of American soldiers who died in World War I. This is of course something that previous presidents usually do.
But this cemetery is the same one where President Donald J. Trump is buried. The visit was originally planned for 2018 but was later cancelled.and set off a political uproar. For Biden, who is running again against Trump, visiting the cemetery is meant to send a message to voters in his hometown.
“America showed up,” he said. “America showed up.”
Biden was talking about American troops during World War I. But he might as well have been talking about the event Trump refused to attend six years ago.
Asked directly what he would like to say to his rivals in this year’s presidential race, Biden paused.
“Any other questions?” he said.
But decided to visit Aisne-et-Marne American CemeteryIt’s no accident that it’s located at the foot of the hills where the Battle of Belleau Wood took place. Biden, who has already spent two days in Normandy paying tribute to the American soldiers who landed on the beaches on D-Day in 1944, certainly didn’t need to host another event honoring veterans. But apparently, the opportunity was too good to pass up.
Neither Biden nor Trump has served in the military, and both have had disagreements with generals in the commander-in-chief’s service. But Biden’s son, Beau Biden, served in Iraq, and the president has expressed strong feelings about veterans. Trump, by contrast, has often disparaged those who have served, and Biden’s visit on Sunday was intended to draw attention to that.
“Every time I come to a military site where veterans are buried, I think of my grandfathers and my mothers telling stories about losing sons and brothers in the South Pacific. I think of my son Beau,” Biden told reporters after laying a wreath near the cemetery chapel on Sunday.
He also used the opportunity to indirectly respond to Trump, who has championed an “America First” ideology, derided NATO’s role as Europe’s protector and withdrawn the United States from international compacts during his presidency.
“The idea that we can avoid getting drawn into a major war in Europe is unrealistic,” Biden said. “That’s why it’s so important that we continue to maintain the alliances that we have. Continue to keep NATO strong.”
As a candidate in 2015, Trump Disdain for Senator John McCain’s War Service And they often privately show disrespect for other people who volunteered to join the army.
“The people who fought in that war were fools,” Mr. Trump’s second White House chief of staff, retired Marine general John Kelly, was quoted as saying of the Vietnam War. “I don’t know why you think these people who were killed or wounded are heroes. They are losers.” Mr. Trump has Denies calling soldiers “stupid” and “losers”.
Trump avoided the Vietnam War because of bone spurs in his feet, the New York Times reported Maybe from a doctor In deference to his father, he made clear during his presidency that he believed the military owed him personal loyalty.
He privately told aides that he didn’t want wounded soldiers on parade because it wasn’t a good look, and asked Kelly why his generals couldn’t be more loyal. ‘Like a German general’ He worked for Hitler during World War II. After leaving office, Trump publicly suggested that he appoint General Mark Milley, who was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Probably should be executed Because you weren’t loyal enough to him.
The cemetery controversy occurred during a November 2018 trip to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I. Trump was unhappy when he discovered he had planned to visit two cemeteries for American soldiers but had to cancel the first one because of rain.
Aides said at the time that the flight was delayed due to rain. Aisne-et-Marne American Cemetery The helicopter ride was cumbersome, and the drive would take two hours and snarl Paris traffic. Mr. Kelly traveled by road with Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, then the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Mr. Trump I did go to another cemetery.The next day, the U.S. Marines held a parade as scheduled at the Suresnes American Cemetery outside Paris, but by then it was too late to avoid the predictable political backlash.
