Biden honors US war dead with cemetery visit that served as a rebuke to Trump

At the end of his trip to France, President Biden paid his respects at an American military cemetery that Donald Trump notably did not visit during his presidency, hoping that his final stop on Sunday would bring into sharp focus the events of the November election.

Before returning to the U.S., Biden honored American war dead at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, about an hour outside of Paris. He laid a wreath in the cemetery chapel in front of a row of white headstones that mark the final resting place of more than 2,200 U.S. soldiers who fought in World War I.

It was a solemn conclusion to five days in which Trump was an unspoken but unavoidable presence. On the surface, the trip was to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day and celebrate the alliance between the United States and France. But in an election year in which Trump has challenged fundamental ideas about America’s global role, Biden has embraced his Republican predecessor – and possible successor – as a latent contrast.

Every ode to the transatlantic partnership was a reminder that Trump could upend that relationship. Every reference to democracy was a counterpoint to his rival’s efforts to overturn a presidential election. The myriad appeals to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia contrasted with Trump’s skepticism about providing American aid.

Biden’s paeans to the struggle between democracy and autocracy have won applause in Europe, where the prospect of a return to Trump’s turbulent rule has sparked plenty of fear. But it remains to be seen how the message will resonate with American voters, with Biden’s campaign struggling to connect the dire warnings the Democratic president so often issues about his rival with people’s everyday concerns.

The visit to the cemetery was an opportunity to underline this contrast once again.

“It’s the same story,” Biden said. “America is there. America is there to stop the Germans. America is there to make sure they don’t get the upper hand. And America is there when we’re needed, just like our allies are for us.”

During a trip to France in 2018, Trump decided not to visit the cemetery. The White House at the time attributed the decision to the weather. However, according to later reports, Trump told advisers he did not want to go because he viewed the dead soldiers as “suckers” and “losers.” Trump has denied these comments, although they were later confirmed by his then-chief of staff, John Kelly.

Trump’s alleged insults have become a staple of Biden’s campaign speeches, including during an April rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

“These soldiers were heroes, just like every American who has served this nation,” Biden said. “That alone is enough to disqualify anyone from this office if they believe otherwise.”

Biden ignored a direct question about Trump at the cemetery, but said it was important to visit the hallowed ground. “The idea that I’m coming to Normandy and not making the short trip here to pay my respects,” he added, his voice trailing off as if to express disbelief.

Maura Sullivan, a former Marine officer who served on the American Battle Monuments Commission under President Obama, said Biden’s visit would “set an example and do what a president should do.” Sullivan, now a New Hampshire Democratic Party official, said “voters can draw their own conclusions from this.”

Biden’s trip was filled with emotional moments, with the president looking heavy-eyed after meeting World War II veterans. A 21-gun salute cast eerie smoke over 9,388 white marble headstones at the Normandy American Cemetery.

“This was the most remarkable trip I have ever taken,” Biden said Saturday evening, his last in Paris before returning to the United States.

In the Aisne-Marne department, Biden said the trip “surprised me at how much it made me realize why these alliances are so valuable. Why they are so important. This is a way to prevent wars instead of starting them.”

His statements in recent days were also politically motivated.

Speaking at the Normandy commemorations on Thursday, Biden said D-Day was a reminder that alliances make the United States stronger, calling it “a lesson that I pray we as Americans will never forget.” He also stressed how the war effort included immigrants, women and people of color who have too often been overlooked by history.

Then on Friday he drove to Pointe du Hoc, a coastal site where Army Rangers scaled cliffs to overcome Nazi defenses on D-Day, and where President Reagan delivered one of his most memorable speeches on the conflicts between the West and the Soviet Union during the Cold War in 1984.

By following in the footsteps of an iconic Republican, Biden was able to broaden his appeal to traditional conservatives who are often frustrated by Trump’s isolationist vision. Biden called on Americans to protect democracy like the Rangers scaling the cliffs – a message consistent with campaign rhetoric that portrayed his opponent as an existential threat to U.S. values.

While Biden was in France, his campaign announced that it had hired former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger’s former chief of staff to lead the outreach to Republican voters. Kinzinger clashed with Trump’s foreign policy and efforts to overturn the last presidential election.

At Pointe du Hoc, Biden said the Army Rangers “fought against a hateful ideology in the ’30s and ’40s. Does anyone doubt that they would not move heaven and earth to defeat the hateful ideologies of today?”

Trump argues that the United States needs to focus more on its own problems and less on foreign alliances and entanglements. He also regularly downplays the importance of American partnerships and suggests that the United States could abandon its treaty obligations to defend European allies if they do not pay enough for their own defense.

Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian who wrote a book about Pointe du Hoc and Reagan’s speech, said Biden had “big shoes to fill” by choosing the same location.

Biden’s speech “did not match Reagan’s greatness and could not,” Brinkley said. Still, he said Biden “found the right words about why democracy matters.”

Paul Begala, a veteran Democratic strategist, said it could help Biden politically to “stand where Reagan stood.”

He pointed out that Biden is struggling with younger voters but is gaining strength among older voters who may be more receptive to memories of Reagan’s speech four decades ago.

“He needs a lot of Reagan Republicans to make up for his problems with younger voters,” he said.

Biden’s trip was also marked by the pomp of a state visit to Paris.

French President Emmanuel Macron organized a ceremony at the Arc du Triomphe, during which four fighter jets flew over the city, and held a banquet at the Élysée presidential palace.

“Together we are strong, divided we are weak,” Macron said in his toast to Biden. “We are allies and we will remain allies.”

Overall, Biden’s visit was slower than other foreign trips. The 81-year-old president had no public events on his first day in Paris after arriving on an overnight flight, nor did he hold a press conference with reporters, as is customary. John Kirby, a national security spokesman, said this was necessary to prepare “in advance of the important engagements” in the following days.

“The calendar is full,” he said.

Still, it ran counter to Macron’s tendency to offer distinguished guests a packed program with a mix of official meetings, business talks, cultural events and private dinners in fancy restaurants.

When the 46-year-old French leader received Chinese President Xi Jinping last month, the two-day agenda was packed with activities, including a trip to the Pyrenees near the border with Spain, where Macron spent time as a child.

Megerian and Miller are writing for the Associated Press. AP writer Sylvie Corbet contributed to this report.