President Joe Biden indirectly addressed presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Sunday without mentioning his name.
During his final day in France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Biden visited the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, located about 50 miles outside of Paris.
This cemetery holds the remains of 2,289 American soldiers, primarily from a major World War I battle. Biden also referenced a 2018 visit by Trump to the region, during which Trump did not go to the cemetery due to inclement weather.
“More Marines were lost here than in any battle until World War II,” Biden stated. “And the idea that I’d come to Normandy and not make the short trip here to pay tribute … think about it. America showed up.”
In 2018, Trump was slated to visit the same cemetery, but the trip was called off due to bad weather. Presidents typically use helicopters for short trips, but in cases of heavy rain, they travel via motorcade, which takes longer. Trump’s team explained that the trip was canceled because the cemetery was too far to reach by motorcade within the scheduled time.
A subsequent report, citing anonymous sources, claimed that Trump partially canceled the visit because he believed the Marines who died in the battle were “suckers” and referred to the cemetery as “filled with losers.”
Although Biden did not mention these words on Sunday, he has brought them up on other occasions.
Trump and his supporters have vehemently denied these allegations, and the Republican National Committee quickly sent out an email refuting Biden’s comments.
“It wasn’t true in 2020 and it’s still not true now — but no disgusting lies are beneath Biden,” said RNC spokesman Jake Schneider.
The RNC email cited a CBS report indicating that emails confirmed bad weather led to the 2018 cancellation. The RNC also highlighted 15 current or former Trump associates who have denied the report.
Biden also emphasized that isolationism is not the correct direction for the United States, a stance he often takes in contrast to Trump.
“And the idea that we were able to avoid being engaged in major battles in Europe — it’s just not realistic,” he remarked. “That’s why it’s so important that we continue to have 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 Two.”
