Trump pays tribute to Americans who died in WWI in a ceremony at the American Cemetery of Suresnes

On Saturday, President Donald Trump had to cancel his visit to the Belleau Wood cemetery and battlefield, in France. The cancelation was brought on by the rainy weather.

The president faced criticism for not attending the ceremony. However, on Sunday he was at the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial where he gave a speech.

On Saturday, the weather prevented President Donald Trump from visiting the Belleau Wood cemetery. The weather was described as light, steady rain with low cloud.

It apparently prevented the presidential helicopter from traveling to the site which was 55 miles east of Paris. In his stead, Trump sent a delegation to the cemetery, which included his chief of staff, John Kelly.

For more on this story go to our Twitter account @amomama_usa. It’s reported that the Secret Service generally requires a good level of visibility to transport the president by helicopter.

However, this didn’t prevent some people from accusing Trump of lacking respect for fallen soldiers and the military. The president was supposed to lay a wreath and observe a moment of silence at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in Belleau.

Trump could’ve used a car to get to the event, but it was reported that he didn’t want to hinder traffic. His press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a statement on Sunday to explain why the president failed to attend.

She explained that the weather gave a “near-zero visibility.” Sanders added:

“President Trump did not want to cause that kind of unexpected disruption to the city and its people.”

Sanders also stated that the trip to Aisne-Marne was 2½ hours each way by car. The 1918 battle saw Americans and the French repel German forces.

More than 1,800 Americans died there. One person who found the president’s failure to attend the event was Nicholas Soames, the Conservative MP, and grandson of Sir Winston Churchill.

He tweeted:

“They died with their face to the foe and that pathetic inadequate @realDonaldTrump couldn’t even defy the weather to pay his respects to The Fallen #hesnotfittorepresenthisgreatcountry.”

On Sunday, Trump appeared to be making up for the previous event he failed to attend. At the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial, the president called out by name veterans of World War II who were in attendance.

He thanked them for their service while standing in a steady rainfall without an umbrella. In his speech, he also referred to Belleau Wood and the US Marines who “fought through hell to turn the tide of the war.”

The president read from a soldier’s letter and added that “through their sacrifice, they ascended to peace in heaven.”

Since the midterms, Trump has been intensifying his challenge of constitutional constraints and governing norms. It appears that his reaction is to the coming Democratic majority in the House.

In the past few days, he’s sent troops to the US-Mexico border to stop migrants and he’s also revoked a journalists press card for challenging him during a press conference.