Trump Brings Lies and Regular Political Attacks to Arlington National Cemetery

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump brought his usual lies and political attacks to Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday, making his Veterans Day remarks look more like a rally speech.

“We were going in the wrong direction for a while, but we have never been hotter than we are now,” he said, despite rising inflation and unemployment, while praising House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune for their “victory” over Democrats in the government shutdown.

“Congratulations to you, John and everyone on a great victory. We are opening our country. It should never have been closed. It should have never been closed,” he said.

He lied about tariffs (“We have received billions of dollars in tariffs”) and energy costs: “Energy prices are very low.”

In fact, Trump’s trade war against the rest of the world has so far generated about $130 billion in new tariffs, and every penny has been collected from Americans. None have been “adopted” from other countries. Gasoline prices are about the same as a year ago, while electricity costs are dramatically higher.

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI via Getty Images

While parts of Trump’s speech included traditional Veterans Day fare (thanking service members for their work and sacrifice), large sections of his 21 minutes behind the lectern were his typical rambling, meandering remarks that were difficult to understand at times.

“When I saw other countries celebrating Victory Day, I looked at it. I saw the United Kingdom, I saw Russia; they were selling, celebrating, Victory Day, World War II, and I said: ‘We have to have a Victory Day.’ Veterans Day will also be known as Victory Day.

In fact, the United States already celebrates two “victory” days, one for the Allied defeat of Nazi Germany in May 1945 and one for the defeat of Imperial Japan three months later.

He then bragged about giving the Department of Defense its preferred nickname: War Department. “Under the Trump administration, we are restoring the pride and winning spirit of the United States military. That’s why we have officially changed the name of the Department of Defense to the original name, Department of War. And remember, we won World War I, we won World War II. We won everything else. We won everything that came before. And then we brilliantly decided to change the name of this great, this great thing that we all created together, and we became politically correct. We don’t like to be politically correct, so “We are no longer going to be politically correct.”

Trump’s claim to “officially” rename the Pentagon is false. Congress named it the Department of Defense after World War II, and only Congress can change the name.

In 2018, Trump refused to visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France during the commemoration of 100 years since the end of World War I because it was raining and he didn’t want to ruin his hair. The site is the resting place of 1,800 U.S. Marines who died in the critical Battle of Belleau Wood in 1918. Trump’s then-chief of staff, John Kelly, a former Marine general, went with then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford.

(White House officials claimed at the time that Trump couldn’t go because his Marine Corps helicopter couldn’t fly safely in the rain; a claim debunked, once again, on Sunday, when Trump flew Marine One in the rain back to the White House after a football game.)

Kelly also confirmed that Trump had called those serving in the military “suckers” and “losers” for their sacrifice. Trump himself avoided military service by claiming to have “bone spurs” in his heels during the Vietnam War.