President Donald Trump will mark Veterans Day at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and delivering remarks at the cemetery’s Memorial Amphitheater — on a day when his own plan for a triumphal arch near the cemetery is facing growing opposition.
Key Points
- Veterans Day Arlington — President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will attend the wreath-laying ceremony at 11:00 a.m. ET, with remarks at 11:30 a.m.
- Vice President JD Vance and Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins will join the president at the ceremony.
- The visit comes as nine members of the Kennedy family have joined legal efforts to block Trump’s planned 250-foot triumphal arch near the cemetery.
- Veterans Day is a federal holiday: there is no mail delivery and banks and government offices are closed.
The ceremony at Arlington is the centrepiece of the nation’s Veterans Day observance. The president and first lady will take part in the Armed Forces full-honour wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the memorial to American service members whose remains could not be identified. A lone bugler will play Taps to close the ceremony, before the programme continues in the Memorial Amphitheater, which is open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.
This year’s White House proclamation notes that “for over 250 years, the liberties and freedoms of every American have been safeguarded by the heroic men and women who have faithfully served in the United States Armed Forces.” Veterans Day falls on 11 November, the anniversary of the armistice that took effect at 11:00 a.m. on 11 November 1918, ending the fighting in the First World War.
The arch looming over the visit
The visit is shadowed by a legal fight over the president’s plan to erect a 250-foot triumphal arch near the cemetery to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence next year. Nine members of the Kennedy family have joined legal efforts to block construction of the arch, and a judge has already blocked the project for 14 days, hours after a panel approved it.
The arch has become one of the more contentious symbols of the anniversary year. Supporters present it as a fitting monument for the nation’s 250th birthday; opponents argue it would intrude on one of the country’s most solemn landscapes. Arlington, established during the Civil War on the former estate of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, holds the remains of about 400,000 people.
What the day means beyond Washington
Across the country, Veterans Day is observed with parades, school assemblies and ceremonies at local memorials, while federal offices, banks and post offices close for the holiday. Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, who will attend the Arlington ceremony, said ahead of the day that Americans must never forget that the nation’s military veterans are the reason they can vote, speak freely and enjoy the freedoms the Constitution guarantees.
The day also arrives at a tense moment in Washington. The House is expected to vote on Wednesday evening on the funding deal that would end the longest government shutdown in American history, and the president has expressed optimism that the 42-day impasse is close to resolution. For the veterans being honoured at Arlington, the politics are secondary: the day belongs to the roughly 18 million living Americans who served in uniform.
For background on the arch dispute, see our report on a judge blocking Trump’s 250-foot triumphal arch for 14 days, and on the Senate passing the deal to end the government shutdown. More in our US News section.
Sources: TradingView / Mace News, “Wednesday White House Schedule — President Trump and First Lady visit Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day” (https://www.tradingview.com/news/macenews:9a7592894094b:0-wednesday-white-house-schedule-president-trump-and-first-lady-visit-arlington-national-cemetery-on-veterans-day/); Military.com, “Arlington’s Veterans Day Observance Open to Public” (https://www.military.com/arlington-cemetery-limits-public-access-to-veterans-day-wreath-laying-ceremony-in-major-change).