Biden lays wreath in US cemetery in France in trip that served as a rebuke to Trump

Sarah Fortinsky

9 June 2024 at 4:25 pm·2-min read

President Biden wrapped up his five-day trip to France with a Sunday visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, where more than 2,200 U.S. soldiers were buried after fighting in World War I.

Biden laid a wreath at the headstones of U.S. soldiers in a solemn ceremony marking their sacrifice for their country.

In remarks to the press, Biden stressed the importance of alliances and, without mentioning former President Trump explicitly, drew a stark contrast with the former president, who famously skipped his visit to the same cemetery in 2018. Trump cited weather at the time, but subsequent reporting revealed Trump expressed disinterest in visiting the cemetery, about an hour outside Paris, calling the fallen soldiers “losers” and “suckers.” Trump denied those reports.

Biden would not answer a question about Trump. But when asked why he’s visiting the cemetery, Biden dismissed “the idea that I could come to Normandy and not make the short trip here to pay tribute.”

“It’s the same story,” Biden said. “America showed up. America showed up to stop the Germans. America showed up to make sure that they did not prevail. And America shows up when we’re needed, just like our allies show for us.”

Biden noted there was a new “rising sense of some” in the United States in favor of becoming semi-isolationists.

“That’s not who we are, who America is,” Biden added.

Biden stressed the importance of maintaining strong alliances to avoid future war.

“The idea that we were able to avoid being engaged in major battles in Europe. It’s just not realistic. That’s why it’s so important that we continue to have that, the allies that we have, continue to beef up those alliances … continue to keep NATO strong, continue to do what we’ve been able to since the end of World War II,” Biden said.

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