Biden stops at WWI cemetery that Trump did not visit to honor American troops

(PARIS) — President Joe Biden on Sunday visited a World War I cemetery outside Paris where American troops are buried, as the final stop on his trip to France.

The visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery was notable because it contrasts with former President Donald Trump, who refused to visit the same cemetery in 2018 due to bad weather. However, later reports claimed that Trump described those buried there as “suckers” and “losers.”

Trump strongly denies ever saying that, but Biden has often repeated the story as an example of why he believes Trump is unfit to be commander in chief.

When asked why he wanted to visit this cemetery in particular, Biden seemed to take a dig at Trump.

“The idea of ​​me coming to Normandy and not making the short trip here to pay tribute?” Biden responded.

“And it’s the same story, think about it. America showed up. America showed up to stop the Germans. America showed up to make sure they wouldn’t get the upper hand. And America shows up when we need it, just as our allies showed up for us,” the president added.

Biden declined to go after Trump directly when asked specifically about his criticism of Trump for not visiting the cemetery, saying only “any other questions?” before explaining the personal impact visits to military cemeteries have on him.

“You know, I don’t want to make this personal. Every time I show up at a military site where veterans are buried, memories come flooding back, and my grandfather and my mother talked about the loss of their son and brother in the South Pacific. And I think my son Beau. And so, you know, I think it’s a measure of a country’s support for democratic values, and they honor those who have risked their lives and lost their lives,” he said.

Reflecting on the trip, the president said the most poignant moment of the visit was at Pointe du Hoc, Normandy, and that he hoped what Americans took away from his trip was “the knowledge that the best way to fight these types of battles in the De The future is to stand strong together with our allies.”

“The idea that we have now become semi-isolationist, which some people are talking about. I mean, the idea that we had to wait all these months just to get the money for Iraq, that because we’re waiting, I mean, it’s just – it’s just not who we are. It is not who America is,” said Biden, appearing to mistake Iraq for Ukraine and rebuking the Republican Party’s growing reluctance to have a muscular presence abroad.

Before taking questions, the president briefly stood in front of a memorial wreath, crossed himself and solemnly bowed his head before walking back to first lady Jill Biden to listen to a rendition of “Taps,” saluting the monument as it played.

The president is now returning to the United States.

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