Trump Lays Wreath At Arlington Cemetery Ahead Of Inauguration
With less than 24 hours to go before his inauguration, President-elect Donald Trump traveled to Arlington National Cemetery to pay his respects to fallen American soldiers by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Sunday afternoon.
The president-elect’s motorcade arrived at Arlington National Cemetery shortly after 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time after he and his family arrived in Virginia on Saturday night. He was joined by Vice President-elect Vance and his wife, Usha, who arrived shortly beforehand.
Amidst a snowy backdrop, Trump and Vance were joined by a handful of wounded service members before laying multiple wreaths outside the tomb. The incoming commander-in-chief then offered a salute while standing at attention.
Trump has honored America’s fallen soldiers on numerous occasions since his first term ended in 2021. Earlier this year, Trump laid a wreath to honor the 13 U.S. service members who were killed by a suicide bomber during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.
While the families of the fallen soldiers thanked then-candidate Trump for showing up to the ceremony, mainstream media outlets and the Harris-Walz Campaign attempted to politicize the gesture.
Despite the fact that Trump was invited to Arlington by Gold Star families, Democrats accused him of staging a “political stunt.” Vice President Harris — who has previously bragged that she was the “last person in the room” during the withdrawal effort — accused her Republican rival of “disrespecting sacred ground” by paying tribute to fallen soldiers.
In the lengthy post, Harris falsely accused the president of getting into an “altercation” with cemetery staff, an accusation that has been thoroughly debunked. “Let me be clear: the former president disrespected sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt,” she wrote at the time.
In response, Gold Star families came to the now president-elect’s defense for honoring their fallen loved ones, something they have repeatedly criticized the Biden-Harris Administration for failing to do.
“President Trump was invited by us, the Gold Star families, to attend the solemn ceremonies commemorating the three-year anniversary of our children’s deaths,” said the families in a joint statement. “He was there to honor their sacrifice, yet Vice President Harris has disgracefully twisted this sacred moment into a political ploy.”
In one statement, the mother-in-law of Sgt. Nicole Gee, who was among the 13 soldiers who were killed in the Kabul bombing, said that Trump was “respectful” and “provided comfort” to the families during the memorial ceremony. “Why won’t you return a call and explain how you call my daughter-in-law’s death a success?” said Christy Shamblin. “Why would you take a day where we celebrated the deaths of our loved ones and use it to disparage not only them, but us.”
The families further revealed that both President Biden and Vice President Harris were invited to the ceremony, though they opted not to attend.After Trump departs Arlington, he will head to a massive victory rally at the Capital One Arena in downtown Washington D.C. before making his way to the Blair House, located just across the street from the White House, where he will be staying the night. He will then meet President Biden for tea before heading to the Capitol Building for the inauguration ceremony.
The inauguration will be held inside the rotunda for the first time in 40 years as arctic winds have plunged temperatures well below freezing in the D.C. area.
