Donald Trump has sparked fresh controversy by using his nation’s Memorial Day to suggest those who died fighting for the country would be “very happy and proud” with his his performance as president.
Just hours before travelling to Arlington National Cemetery to speak at a Memorial Day remembrance ceremony, the president used Twitter to seek credit for the state of the economy and the low unemployment rate among people of colour.
“Happy Memorial Day! Those who died for our great country would be very happy and proud at how well our country is doing today,” he wrote.
“Best economy in decades, lowest unemployment numbers for blacks and hispanics EVER (& women in 18 years), rebuilding our military and so much more. Nice!”
The comments by Mr Trump on a day that has been marked since 1868 to honour those who died while serving in the country’s armed forces, triggered immediate criticism. Many commentators said it was inappropriate for the president to try and score political points on such a day.
Former Army Gen Martin Dempsey, who served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the administrations of Barack Obama, said on Twitter: “This day, of all days of the year, should not be about any one of us.”
John Kirby, a State Department spokesman in the Obama administration, called Mr Trump”s tweet “one of the most inappropriate, ignorant and tone-deaf things our Commander-in-Chief could have said on a day like today”.
Donald Trump says North Korea summit 'could still happen'
Nate Bell, a conservative Arkansas politician also known for controversial remarks, said Mr Trump’s comment represented “perhaps the most disgusting Trump tweet ever”.
“Memorial Day is a solemn day to reflect on the memories of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom, liberty & justice for all,” he said.
“It’s NOT a ‘Happy’ day nor is it a day to tout your draft dodging ‘bone spurs’ self.”
Happy Memorial Day! Those who died for our great country would be very happy and proud at how well our country is doing today. Best economy in decades, lowest unemployment numbers for Blacks and Hispanics EVER (& women in 18years), rebuilding our Military and so much more. Nice! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2018
VoteVets.org, a veterans’ rights which says it has 500,000 supporters across the country, also condemned the remark.
“This is the most inappropriate #MemorialDay comment that a @POTUS has ever made. Self-promotion on a day to remember the fallen, and wishing those remembering their deceased loved ones a “happy” holiday is appalling,” the group wrote on Twitter.
Neither Mr Trump or any members of his immediate family served in the US military. The president received five draft deferrals for Vietnam, some of which were for purportedly having bone spurs.
World news in pictures
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2/53 27 May 2018 Migrants wait to disembark from the ship Aquarius in the Sicilian harbour of Catania, Italy Reuters
3/53 26 May 2018 Ireland awaits the official result of a referendum that could end the country’s ban on abortion. Co-Director of Together For Yes Ailbhe Smyth speaks to the media after exit polls suggested victory for the Yes campaign. PA Wire/PA Images
4/53 25 May 2018 Film producer Harvey Weinstein arrives at the 1st Precinct in Manhattan where he turned himself in to New York police for sexual misconduct charges. Reuters
5/53 24 May 2018 Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron at the Konstantin Palace in Strelna, outside Saint Petersburg, on May 24, 2018 Getty Images
6/53 23 May 2018 People protest outisde the Tamil Nadu House after at least 10 people were killed when police fired on protesters seeking closure of plant on environmental grounds in town of Thoothukudi in southern state of Tamil Nadu, in New Delhi. ANI via Reuters
7/53 22 May 2018 People demonstrate in Paris during a nationwide day protest by French public sector employees and public servants against the overhauls proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron, calling them an "attack" by the centrist leader against civil services as well as their economic security. AFP/Getty
8/53 21 May 2018 Newly appointed Catalan president Quim Torra arrives to visit jailed Catalan separatist politicians at the Estremera jail near Madrid. AFP/Getty
9/53 20 May 2018 Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro casts his vote during the presidential elections in Caracas. Maduro was seeking a second term in power. AFP/Getty
10/53 19 May 2018 Channelized lava emerges on Kilauea Volcano's lower East Rift Zone on Hawaii. The USGS said on its website that "a fast-moving pahoehoe lava flow that emerged from fissure 20... continues to flow southeast," with the quickest of three "lobes" progressing at 230 yards (210 meters) per hour. AFP/US Geological Survey
11/53 18 May 2018 Santa Fe High School student Dakota Shrader is comforted by her mother Susan Davidson following a shooting at the school in Texas. Shrader said her friend was shot in the incident. Multiple people have been killed. Stuart Villanueva/The Galveston County Daily News via AP
12/53 17 May 2018 French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Theresa May and German Chancellor Angela Merkel meeting during the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Sofia, Bulgaria. Reuters
13/53 16 May 2018 People hold flags with the state coat of arms of Russia as they drive along a bridge, which was constructed to connect the Russian mainland with the Crimean Peninsula across the Kerch Strait. Reuters
14/53 15 May 2018 Palestinians run away from tear gas shot at them by Israeli forces during a protest in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank AFP/Getty
15/53 14 May 2018 A Palestinian demonstrator runs during a protest against the US embassy move to Jerusalem and ahead of the 70th anniversary of the Nakba at the Israel-Gaza border. REUTERS
16/53 13 May 2018 A bullet hole on the window of a cafe in Paris, the day after a knifeman killed one man and wounded four other people before being shot dead by police AFP/Getty
17/53 12 May 2018 Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel looks on after receiving the 'Lamp of Peace, the "Nobel" Catholic award for "her work of conciliation for the peaceful cohabitation of peoples" at The Basilica Superiore of St Francis of Assisi in Italy. AFP/Getty
18/53 11 May 2018 Police forensics investigate the death of seven people in a suspected murder-suicide in Australia. Four children are among seven people that were found dead at a rural property in Osmington, near Margaret River. Detectives are investigating the incident, which was said to be treated as a murder-suicide, media reported. Two firearms were found at the scene, Western Australia Police said. EPA
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20/53 9 May 2018 Iranian MPs burning a US flag in the parliament in Tehran. Iran said it will hold talks with signatories to a nuclear deal after US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the accord, which it branded "psychological warfare". President Hassan Rouhani also said Iran could resume uranium enrichment "without limit" in response to Trump's announcement. AFP/Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency
21/53 8 May 2018 Newly elected Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinian addresses the crowd in Republic Square in Yerevan. The leader of protests that gripped Armenia for weeks was named the country's new prime minister on Tuesday, overcoming the immediate political turmoil but raising uncertainty about the longer term. AP
22/53 7 May 2018 Russian President Vladimir Putin walks before his President inauguration ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow. Reuters
23/53 6 May 2018 Lava from a robust fissure eruption on Kilauea's east rift zone consumes a home, then threatens another, near Pahoa, Hawaii. The total number of homes lost within the Leilani Estates subdivision thus far is 21, and geologists from the Hawaii Volcanoes Observatory do not expect the eruption to cease any time soon. A local state of emergency has been declared after Mount Kilauea erupted near residential areas, forcing mandatory evacuation of about 1,700 citizens from their nearby homes. The crater's floor collapsed on 01 May and is since then continuing to erode its walls and generating huge explosions of ashes. Several earthquakes have been recorded in the area where the volcanic eruptions continue, including a 6.9 magnitue earthquake which struck the area on 4 May. EPA/PARADISE HELICOPTERS
24/53 5 May 2018 Russian police carrying struggling opposition leader Alexei Navalny at a demonstration against President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Thousands of demonstrators denouncing Putin's upcoming inauguration into a fourth term gathered in the capital's Pushkin Square. AP
25/53 4 May 2018 Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at an event to mark Karl Marx’s 200th birthday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. AP
26/53 3 May 2018 President Vladimir Putin meets with FIFA president Gianni Infantino in Sochi, ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. AFP/Getty
27/53 2 May 2018 Supporters of opposition lawmaker Nikol Pashinyan protest in Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia. Pashinyan has urged his supporters to block roads, railway stations and airports after the governing Republican Party voted against his election as prime minister. AP
28/53 1 May 2018 Cubans march during the May Day rally at Revolution Square in Havana. AFP/Getty
29/53 30 April 2018 The sky is the limit: A Saudi man and woman fly over the Arabian Sarawat Mountains in the first ever joint wingsuit flight in traditional dress. A symbolic leap of faith towards women’s empowerment in Saudi Arabia. Alwaleed Philanthropies
30/53 29 April 2018 A general view for the damaged railway station in al-Qadam neighborhood, after it was recaptured from Islamic State militants, in the south of Damascus. According to media reports, the Syrian army continued the military offensive it has launched earlier this month against militant groups entrenching in southern Damascus and captured several neighborhoods, including al-Qadam and al-Assali and targeting the remnants of armed groups in al-Hajar al-Aswad and its surrounding in Damascus southern countryside. EPA
31/53 28 April 2018 Comedian Michelle Wolf attends the Celebration After the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Conservatives walked out after Wolf brutally ridiculed President Donald Trump and his aides during her piece. Getty
32/53 27 April 2018 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in raise their hands after signing on a joint statement North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in raise their hands after signing on a joint statement at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea. The Korean War will be formally declared over after 65 years, the North and South have said. At a historic summit between leaders Kim Jong-Un and Moon Jae-in, the neighbouring countries agreed they would work towards peace on the peninsula with a formal end to the conflict set to be announced later this year. The pair agreed to bring the two countries together and establish a "peace zone" on the contested border. Korea Summit Press Pool via AP
33/53 26 April 2018 Women hold portraits of their relatives, who are victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, during a commemoration ceremony in Kiev, Ukraine. Reuters
34/53 25 April 2018 Rohingya refugees gather in the "no man's land" behind Myanmar's boder lined with barb wire fences in Maungdaw district, Rakhine state bounded by Bangladesh. Myanmar government said on April 15, it repatriated on April 14 the first family of Rohingya out of some 700,000 refugees who have fled a brutal military campaign, a move slammed by a rights group as a PR stunt ignoring UN warnings that a safe return is not yet possible. AFP/Getty
35/53 24 April 2018 President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, first lady Melania Trump and Brigitte Macron hold hands on the White House balcony during a State Arrival Ceremony in Washington. AP
36/53 23 April 2018 A boy walks on a pile of garbage covering a drain in New Delhi. Reuters
37/53 22 April 2018 Newly ordained priests lie on the floor as Pope Francis leads a mass in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. REUTERS
38/53 21 April 2018 South Koreans cheer during the welcoming event for the inter-Korean summit between South Korea and North Korea in Seoul. The inter-Korean summit is scheduled on April 27, 2018 at the Joint Security Area in Panmunjom, agreed by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un. Getty
39/53 20 April 2018 A Palestinian slings a shot by burning tires on the Israel-Gaza border, following a demonstration calling for the right to return. Palestinian refugees either fled or were expelled from what is now the state of Israel during the 1948 war. AFP/Getty
40/53 19 April 2018 Outgoing Cuban President Raul Castro raising the arm of Cuba's new President Miguel Diaz-Canel after he was formally named by the National Assembly, in Havana. A historic handover ending six decades of rule by the Castro brothers. The 57-year-old Diaz-Canel, who was the only candidate for the presidency, was elected to a five-year term with 603 out of 604 possible votes in the National Assembly. AFP/Getty/www.cubadebate.cu
41/53 18 April 2018 Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announces early presidential and parliamentary elections for June 24, 2018, at the Presidential Palace, in Ankara. Erdogan announced the snap elections, originally scheduled for November 2019, in a move that will usher in a new political system increasing the powers of the president. He said the new system needed to be implemented quickly in order to deal with a slew of challenges ahead, including Turkey's fight against Kurdish insurgents in Syria and Iraq. AP
42/53 17 April 2018 European lawmakers raise placards reading "Stop the War in Syria" in protest against airstrikes launched by the US, Britain and France in Syria last week criticizing the legitimacy of the operation, as French President Emmanuel Macron delivers his speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Macron is expected to outline his vision for the future of Europe to push for deep reforms of the 19-nation eurozone and will launch a drive to seek European citizens' opinions on the European Union's future. AP
43/53 16 April 2018 People participate in a protest against the rape of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua near Jammu, and a teenager in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh state, in Bangalore, India Reuters
44/53 15 April 2018 Fireworks are set off as the final performance takes place during the Closing Ceremony for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. PA
45/53 14 April 2018 The wreckage of the Scientific Studies and Research Centre compound in the Barzeh district, north of Damascus, after the United States, UK and France launched strikes against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime early on April 14 in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack after mulling military action for nearly a week. Syrian state news agency SANA reported several missiles hit a research centre in Barzeh, north of Damascus, "destroying a building that included scientific labs and a training centre" AFP/Getty
46/53 13 April 2018 Indian activists gather to show support for the chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women Swati Maliwal, who is on a hunger strike against the alleged rapes in Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, in New Delhi, India. According to news reports Maliwal is sitting on hunger strike demanding that authorities take strict actions against the alleged rapists. EPA
47/53 12 April 2018 Shi'ite pilgrims carry a symbolic casket outside Imam Moussa al-Kadhim's shrine to mark the anniversary of his death in Baghdad, Iraq Reuters
48/53 11 April 2018 Seasonal winds washed tons of debris ashore at Matahari Terbit beach, near Sanur, Bali, Indonesia. Reuters
49/53 10 April 2018 Syrian onlookers gather around rescue teams clearing the rubble at the site of an explosion of unknown origin which wrecked a multi-storey building the previous night in the war-battered country's northwestern city of Idlib. The cause of the explosion in the jihadist-held city, which killed more than a ten people and wounded 80, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, was not immediately clear. AFP/Getty
50/53 9 April 2018 Protesters try to block French gendarmes during an evacuation operation in the zoned ZAD (Deferred Development Zone) in Notre-Dame-des-Landes, near Nantes, France. Reuters
51/53 8 April 2018 Competitors cross the start line at the annual Pyongyang Marathon. AFP/Getty
52/53 7 April 2018 The body of journalist Yasser Murtaja, 31, is carried during his funeral in Gaza city. He was shot by Israeli troops while reporting on Palestinian protests on the Gaza-Israel border. Reuters
53/53 6 April 2018 Supporters of the former South African president Jacob Zuma rally prior to his appearance in the KwaZulu-Natal High Court on corruption charges in Durban. Zuma, 75, arrived to face corruption charges linked to a multi-billion dollar 1990s arms deal. The graft case against him was postponed until June 8 after a brief 15-minute hearing. AFP/Getty
Col Cedric Leighton, a retired officer with the US Air Force, told CNN Mr Trump’s ought not to have made his comment on such a day. He said Mr Trump also had no right to claim he knew what fallen veterans would have made of his presidency.
“There has to be a separation of what you do on Memorial Day and what you do as part of your political” behaviour, he told CNN.
Later on Monday morning, Mr Trump attended a memorial service at Arlington National Cemetery, which is home to an estimated 420,000 fallen soldiers.
This is the most inappropriate #MemorialDay comment that a @POTUS has ever made. Self-promotion on a day to remember the fallen, and wishing those remembering their deceased loved ones a “happy” holiday is appalling. #CadetBoneSpurs pic.twitter.com/kRse4dnwiu — VoteVets (@votevets) May 28, 2018
“We mourn alongside their families and we strive to be worthy of their sacrifice,” he told cabinet members, military leaders, veterans and families assembled in the marble amphitheatre near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The Associated Press said Mr Trump said he came to the “sacred soil” of Arlington, “to honour the lives and deeds of America’s greatest heroes”.
Mr Trump also laid a wreath at the tomb during his second Memorial Day visit as president.
At Arlington, Mr Trump said those who died for America, “rest in these hallowed fields, in cemeteries, battlefields and burial grounds near and far, and are drawn from the full tapestry of American life”.
He said they came from “every generation, from towering cities and wind-swept prairies, from privilege and from poverty. They were generals and privates, captains and corporals of every race, colour and of every creed, but they were all brothers and sisters in arms”.
He added: “And they were all united then, as they are united now, forever, by their undying love of our great country.”
(CNN) Memorial Day, for politicians, is a no-brainer. You express thanks to those who have served and condolences for those who have been lost. That's it. That's the statement.
President Donald Trump went in, um, another direction on Monday.
Here's his tweet:
"Happy Memorial Day! Those who died for our great country would be very happy and proud at how well our country is doing today. Best economy in decades, lowest unemployment numbers for Blacks and Hispanics EVER (& women in 18years), rebuilding our Military and so much more. Nice!"
Happy Memorial Day! Those who died for our great country would be very happy and proud at how well our country is doing today. Best economy in decades, lowest unemployment numbers for Blacks and Hispanics EVER (& women in 18years), rebuilding our Military and so much more. Nice!
This is a tweet about Trump masquerading as a tweet about Memorial Day. The remembrance of those who fell in service to the country is used here by Trump as simply a launching pad to tout accomplishments during his first 16 months in office.
Need evidence? Ask yourself if those who died for the country did so while thinking about the current unemployment rate. Or how a family mourning someone lost fighting for the United States today would react when the President ends a tweet allegedly honoring their service with this: "Nice!"
Compare Trump's tweet to how other politicians handled Memorial Day.
Here's South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham's tweet : "On #MemorialDay we honor the American heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice defending our values and protecting our freedoms. We owe them a debt of gratitude we can never repay."
And here's what former President Barack Obama said via Twitter : "We can never truly repay the debt we owe our fallen heroes. But we can remember them, honor their sacrifice, and affirm in our own lives those enduring ideals of justice, equality, and opportunity for which generations of Americans have given that last full measure of devotion."
There are dozens (and dozens) more of these sorts of tweets and statements. And not one of them sounds anything like what Trump wrote.
Remember that phrase "There's a time and place for everything"? Trump seems not to have that gene in him -- or to listen to people who do. Anyone -- and I mean ANYONE -- who Trump ran that tweet by before sending it would tell him that it sounds incredibly self-serving, far too focused on himself and what he's done as opposed to what today means for the country.
But as the past 16 months has shown, Trump rarely consults with people before he tweets. He feels as though he innately understands Twitter -- that it is the medium best suited for him to communicate to the millions and millions of people who not only voted for him but also "get" him at some core level.
Maybe that group of core Trump supporters think today's tweet is a good idea, though it's difficult to see how.
The tweet seems reflective of a broader belief that has animated every moment of Trump's campaign and presidency: This is about him. Period.
"Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it," Trump said in accepting the Republican nomination back in 2016. I alone can fix it.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions' decision to recuse himself in the Russia probe? "Very unfair to the President," Trump told The New York Times last summer.
Me, I, me. I did this. I deserve credit. This is unfair to me. Soldiers fought and died so I could make the unemployment rate better. And so on.
Trump's total lack of understanding of how past presidents have prioritized the collective good of the country over their own personal aggrandizement or self -promotion represents one of the most consequential breaks with history embodied in Trump.
Trump is the "me" President, not the "we" President. And that is a profound change in how politicians -- Democrats and Republicans -- have conceived of the office they hold.
Monday, May 28, marks the celebration of Memorial Day 2018. The day was made an official holiday in 1971 to honor and remember those who died while serving their country in the military, and by extension Memorial Day pays tribute to the sacrifices of all families of those who serve.
Memorial Day weekend is also celebrated as the unofficial start of summer, with plenty of barbecue cookouts, parties, and trips to the beach. If you’re trying to squeeze in some errands during the holiday weekend, however, that may be complicated—because it’s not always clear what’s closed and what’s open on Memorial Day 2018.
As you probably know, most stores are open on Memorial Day with regular business hours—and they often host big sales to boot. There is a huge Home Depot Memorial Day 2018 sale happening right now, for instance. But are banks, restaurants, and post offices open on Memorial Day? Here’s all the info you need.
Are Banks Open on Memorial Day?
Nearly all banks are closed on Monday, May 28, in honor of Memorial Day 2018. U.S. branch locations for Wells Fargo, Chase, First Citizens Bank, TD Bank, Peoples United Bank, and HSBC are all closed, to name a few examples.
Of course, even though there are no bank business hours on Memorial Day, access to ATMs and electronic banking services should be readily available even on major holidays, including Memorial Day.
Are Stores and Restaurants Open on Memorial Day?
For the most part, yes. Virtually all major retailers, including malls, big box stores, convenience stores, liquor stores, drugstores, and supermarkets, are open on Memorial Day 2018. Many stores have special Memorial Day weekend sales in effect too, with deals on garden supplies, grills, appliances, home goods, clothing, and more. Nearly all restaurants are open on Memorial Day too.
There are a few exceptions, mind you. Costco is closed on Memorial Day 2018, and some locations for warehouse club competitor BJ’s have limited hours on the holiday. You may find that some independent mom-and-pop stores and restaurants are closed for Memorial Day 2018 as well.
Is the Post Office Open? Is Mail Delivered on Memorial Day?
Memorial Day is a postal holiday. Post offices are closed, and the mail will not be delivered on Monday, May 28.
Is the Stock Market Open or Closed on Memorial Day 2018?
The stock market is closed for trading today. Both the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq are closed on Memorial Day 2018, as they are every year for the holiday.
Are Schools Open or Closed?
Virtually all schools are closed on Memorial Day. In most cases, it’s the last holiday giving students the day off before the end of the school year. (Live it up, kids!)
Are Government Offices Open on Memorial Day?
Memorial Day is a federal holiday, so all non-essential government offices are closed and most non-essential state and federal government employees have a paid day off work. Most public libraries are closed for the holiday too.
