President Donald Trump, along with First Lady Melania Trump, made a special visit to Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, for Memorial Day Celebration. The US President paid tribute to the fallen heroes who had bravely fought to serve the country.

During his speech, the President honored the American strength throughout the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Trump said, “In America, we are the captains of our own fate. No obstacle, no challenge, and no threat is a match for the sheer determination of the American people.” Trump continued to thank the service members, for helping the country fight an “invisible enemy.”

Moreover, Trump went on to spread the message of solidarity, encouraging Americans that together, they can “vanquish” the deadly Chinese virus, and rise above the health and economic crisis. He believed that after the outbreak, the country could reach “new and even greater heights.”

Trump also gave a tribute to the American flag and the national anthem, stating how it represents American heroism. He went on to recite a poem by Francis Scott Key, saying that “Every time we sing our anthem, every time it’s rousing chorus swells our hearts with pride, we renew the eternal bonds of loyalty to our fallen heroes.”

Trump remembered the fallen soldiers who had given up their lives to defend the nation. He described how the brave men had fought through “piecing waves,” “fires,” “desserts,” and even “storms of bullets and shrapnel.” He memorialized the generation of war heroes who had fought for the country, including Capt. Daniel Egger, who had died in 2004 while fighting the war in Afghanistan, as well as World War II veteran Jim Krebs who had fought alongside his twin brother. The President concluded that because of their bravery, America is “safe.”

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On the other hand, presumptive Democratic Nominee, Joe Biden, who had been campaigning to unseat Trump, made his first public appearance in over two months. The former Vice-President accompanied by his wife, Jill Sanders, visited a veterans park, near their Delaware home to commemorate Memorial Day. The couple laid a wreath in honor of the fallen heroes.

Later, Biden, who spoke in a muffled voice due to his facial covering, reminded the public never to forget the sacrifices that American veterans had made. He also remarked about his new-found freedom, adding that “It feels good to be out of the house.”

On Memorial Day Weekend, The New York Times also published an editorial attacking the military for celebrating “white supremacy.” The article was accompanied by a picture of a Ku Klux Klan hood, which was shaped like a bullet.

The article lamented how the US military continued the practice of naming military bases after Confederate Army officers and describing it as a “toxic legacy.” The NYT argued that the federal government “embraced” pillars of the “white supremacist movement” by refusing to change the name of military bases in the South. However, even the Obama administration believed that there was no need to “expunge” Confederate base names, simply because they are “historic” and that it does not represent American “ideologies.”