(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.
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
53 show all 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
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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
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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
19/53 10 May 2018 Missiles rise into the sky as Israeli missiles hit air defense position and other military bases, in Damascus, Syria. The Israeli military on Thursday said it attacked "dozens" of Iranian targets in neighboring Syria in response to an Iranian rocket barrage on Israeli positions in the Golan Heights, in the most serious military confrontation between the two bitter enemies to date. Reuters
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.”
"These are some of our Marines buried here," said U.S. Marine Sergeant Major Darrell Carver of the 6th Marine Regiment as he walks among the graves of U.S. soldiers, most of them killed in the World War I Battle of Belleau Wood, during a ceremony to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the battle on Memorial Day at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery on May 27, 2018 near Chateau-Thierry, France. Nearly 100 years before U.S. soldiers, including Marines from the 6th Regiment, repelled repeated assaults from a German advance at Belleau Wood only 60 miles from Paris. The U.S. suffered approximately 10,000 casualties in the month-long battle, including nearly 2,000 dead. Today the Battle of Belleau Wood is central to the lore of U.S. Marines. (Photo: Sean Gallup, Getty Images)
America remembers the fallen
On Memorial Day, the U.S. remembers all soldiers who have died during any act of military service. Today, most government offices and a number of businesses will be closed to honor fallen military men and women. For restaurants and stores that are open, many offer freebies and special discounts to veterans and active military. If you didn’t make any travel plans this year, don’t worry. It might rain anyway. Subtropical Storm Alberto will dump heavy rain across much of the southeastern United States through the long weekend.
CLOSE Soldiers place flags at Arlington National Cemetery ahead of Memorial Day. Militarykind, USA TODAY
It's National Burger Day, and the chains are upping their game
Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, and this year it also happens to coincide with National Burger Day! Several restaurants are celebrating with deals. Participation can vary and in some cases, you'll need to be signed up for the restaurant's loyalty program or have a mobile app. The day comes as McDonald's and other chains are responding to demand for higher-quality burgers.
CLOSE Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, and this year it also happens to coincide with National Burger Day! Celebrate with these deals. USA TODAY
The puck drops on the Stanley Cup Finals
No matter what, one NHL team is four wins away from capturing their first Stanley Cup. Game 1 of the National Hockey's League championship round begins tonight as the Washington Capitals — who haven't held the Cup in their 44-year history — battle the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, who will attempt to hoist hockey's greatest reward in their very first season.
CLOSE SportsPulse: We have the makings of a great Stanley Cup Final on our hands and USA TODAY Sports' Kevin Allen breaks it all down. USA TODAY Sports
LeBron looms over Game 7 hoops battle
The Houston Rockets play at home against the Golden State Warriors on Monday to determine the winner of the NBA's Western Conference. The Warriors tied the best-of-seven series at three Thursday after guard Klay Thompson's on-fire performance powered a 115-86 victory. Whoever wins will face the Cleveland Cavaliers for all the marbles, with LeBron James & co. having bested the Boston Celtics on Sunday night. Amazingly, it will be James' eighth straight trip to the NBA finals.
Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) celebrates during the second half of Game 6 of the NBA basketball Western Conference Finals against the Houston Rockets in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, May 26, 2018. The Warriors won 115-86. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) (Photo: The Associated Press)
Broncos bigwig chases golfing glory
Denver Broncos general manager John Elway will compete Monday in a qualifying golf tournament with a shot at playing in the U.S. Senior Open. The former Super Bowl-winning quarterback will aim to finish as one of the top two competitors at The Broadmoor East Course in Colorado Springs, according to The Denver Post. Should he win or finish as the tournament's runner-up, he'd have a spot in the U.S. Senior Open come June 28.
Former NFL great John Elway tees off on the 12th hole during the Annexus Pro-Am at the 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. (Photo: Tom Tingle/The Republic)
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