Trump says America 'owes it all' to its veterans for keeping country 'safe, sovereign, and free'

President Donald Trump and other members of his administration attended a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday to mark Veterans Day, with Trump laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Trump was joined by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary for Veterans Affairs Doug Collins for the ceremony, with the three being seen saluting as the National Anthem played at the cemetery.

In remarks given at the cemetery, Trump said, "on these hallowed grounds where generations of American heroes rest in eternal glory, we gather to fulfil the sacred duty of every free man and woman. On Veterans Day, we honor those who have worn the uniform, who have borne the battle, who have stood to watch, whose ranks have formed the mighty wall of flesh and blood, bravery and devotion that has defended our freedom for 250 years."

"Today, to every veteran—we love our veterans—we say the words too often left unsaid: Thank you for your service. Thank you very much. We want to also say thank you for carrying America’s fate on your strong, very broad, proud shoulders. Each of you has earned the respect and the gratitude of our entire nation. We love you, we salute you, and we will never forget what you have done to keep America safe, sovereign, and free."

Trump said that "the pages of American history are filled with the tales of titans, icons, innovators, and trailblazers who built this country into the greatest, most ambitious and most prosperous nation the world has ever seen," however, "they only had the chance to soar because the veterans had the courage to serve."

"They took care of those people. They took care of all the stars, the stars that you read about wouldn’t be here without our veterans. Everything we have, everything our country has achieved, has been purchased by the muscle, spine, and steel of the United States military. We owe it all to the fierce and noble men and women of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard, and the United States Marines."

He later added, "Today, we remember with overwhelming gratitude the more than 1 million American service members who have made the supreme sacrifice and laid down their lives for the good old USA. Generation after generation, America’s warriors have left behind the comforts of home and family to face violence, evil, and death, so that our families could know joy, goodness, and peace."

Trump said that November 11 marked Veterans Day, "but it’s my proclamation that we are now going to be saying and calling Victory Day for World War I. Victory Day." He said he recently saw numerous countries around the world celebrating their respective Victory Days, "And I said, from now on, we’re going to say Victory Day for World War I and World War II, and we could do for plenty of other wars, but we’ll start with those two."

Vice President JD Vance, a Marine veteran, also spoke at the ceremony, outlining how "I’ve learned a couple of things from working so closely with the president of the United States." Vance said Trump "loves our nation’s veterans and has committed our nation’s administration to putting our veterans first every single day."

Vance thanked veterans for their service to the nation, and said to the nation’s political leaders, "I happen to believe that the most valuable resource that we have isn’t the incredible wealth of natural resources of this country, as amazing as it is, the most important natural resource that we have is that we have hundreds of thousands of young people every single month who sign up to put on the uniform and risk their lives for their fellow citizens. That is a resource we cannot squander. That is a resource we must protect."

"And so to every elected official who is here today, our obligation, our sacred responsibility to our veterans, is to make sure that the American military is the bravest and best fighting force anywhere in the world, and to make sure that every time we ask our nation’s military to go off to war, we give them the training, the resources, and we give them what they need to kick the enemy’s rear end and to come back home safely and quickly."

He said he is often asked how to best honor the country’s veterans, telling the American people, "It doesn’t have to be difficult and it doesn’t have to be complicated. If you find yourself at a restaurant this evening and you see somebody wearing a uniform, but them a meal, if you’re able to, or buy them a beer. If you see a veteran of our nation’s armed forces, if you know somebody in your family, give them a call and say thank you," he continued. Vance said that his mother-in-law had sent a message, adding that "it touched my heart just knowing that we have loved ones who recognize our service, who care about it, and who care enough to go out and say thank you."