Trump’s nationalist, “America First” approach has tested the strength of the U.S. relationships with NATO and longstanding allies, including Britain and France.
And the U.S., Macron said, while Trump sat with arms folded behind him, “is never greater than when it is fighting for the freedom of others.”
But on this sunny Normandy morning, speaking just steps from the graves of nearly 10,000 American servicemen killed in the D-day invasion and subsequent military operations, Trump celebrated the alliance. Those who fought, Trump said, “did not just win a war. Those who fought here won a future for our nation.”
Following the ceremony, which included flyovers by U.S. and French planes, Trump flew over historic Point du Hoc, where Army Rangers scaled cliffs on D-day to capture German artillery. He and Macron then met in Caen. Trump told reporters that while walking through the cemetery and laying a wreath with Macron, he marveled at the scale of the invasion.Asked if he would have made the same decision as then-Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower did to invade France despite the certainty of so many deaths, Trump said he would. “We have what we have today because of things like that,” he said. “It’s very sad, but I would do it again.
Even on such a historic, somber occasion, the president’s focus wasn’t completely on the anniversary.