OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
12:16 PM – Monday, May 25, 2026
President Donald Trump delivered a solemn Memorial Day address at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, paying tribute to generations of fallen American service members and connecting their sacrifices directly to the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary.
Speaking before an audience that included military officials, veterans, and Gold Star families, the president emphasized that the freedoms celebrated by citizens are entirely dependent on those who gave their lives in uniform.
He noted that before the nation can celebrate its founding and triumph, it must first count the cost and pay further tribute, stating that there could be no Fourth of July or Independence Day without the legacy of the armed forces and Memorial Day.
The address took on a modern weight as President Trump specifically recognized the 13 members of the U.S. Joint Force who recently lost their lives during Operation Epic Fury.
Addressing the families of the fallen, Trump asserted that their sacrifices successfully ensured that the world’s leading state sponsor of terror would never obtain a nuclear weapon. The declaration drew strong applause from the crowd as the president repeated the vow, casting the geopolitical conflict as a direct continuation of America’s “historic defense of global liberty.”
Turning his attention to the audience, the president then specifically highlighted the Gold Star families in attendance, asking them to stand and receive the gratitude of the nation. He thanked them for bearing an unfathomable burden, promising that America would never forget the loved ones they lost.
Trump’s remarks also traced the lineage of American military sacrifice through history, referencing the battlefields of Valley Forge, the beaches of Normandy, and the jungles of Vietnam — to highlight how the spilled blood of brave warriors remains the foundational rock upon which the republic stands.
The speech was preceded by an official White House proclamation issued just days earlier, in which Trump designated Memorial Day as a national day of prayer for permanent peace. In that message, Trump requested that all governors order American flags to be flown at half-staff until noon and urged citizens to participate in the National Moment of Remembrance at 3:00 p.m. local time.
Other high-ranking administration officials, including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, also shared remarks at the cemetery, exemplifying the administration’s theme of carrying the torch of freedom forward and living lives worthy of the ultimate sacrifices made by the nation’s military dead.
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