President Trump on Monday presented a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to commemorate Memorial Day.
Trump crossed the Potomac River by motorcade to lead the solemn morning ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.
The president saluted the tomb as the National Anthem played. At his left, Vice President Mike Pence and Defense Secretary Mark Esper stood holding a hand over their chests.
Trump then approached the wreath, paused in reflection and touched it before rejoining Pence and Esper, again saluting during a playing of “Taps.”
Cabinet members including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao joined Trump at the event.
Later on Monday, Trump is scheduled to visit Fort McHenry, a retired island fortress outside Baltimore whose defiance of a British attack in 1814 inspired Francis Scott Key to write the “Star Spangled Banner.”
Trump’s trip to Baltimore faces opposition from some local officials, and comes as Trump encourages states to reopen their economies after more than two months of coronavirus-triggered shutdowns. Baltimore remains under a stay-at-home order.
The Fort McHenry trip is one of the first Trump has taken as he resumes domestic travel. This month he twice visited Camp David in Maryland and toured a mask factory in Arizona, a protective gear distribution center in Pennsylvania, and a ventilator production facility in Michigan.
This weekend, Trump returned to his northern Virginia golf course for the first time since the crisis began — golfing both days. This week, he’s scheduled to watch a SpaceX rocket launch in Florida. On July 3, he will attend a fireworks display at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.
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