Trump visits Arlington cemetery for holiday commemoration

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump made an unannounced visit to Arlington National Cemetery on Saturday for a holiday commemoration.

In a steady rain, Trump visited the cemetery during an annual event in which holiday wreaths are laid to honor the sacrifices made by veterans and their families.

Trump expresses regret for not visiting Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day

Trump said his travel schedule and official business stopped him from attending.

By Leo Shane III

The president's trip to Arlington came about a month after he received criticism for not visiting the national cemetery on Veterans Day.

And that, in turn, came after a visit to a World War I cemetery in France was scuttled due to poor weather.

President Donald Trump pauses in the rain among holiday wreaths at graves at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018, during Wreaths Across America Day. Wreaths Across America was started in 1992 at Arlington National Cemetery by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester and has expanded to hundreds of veterans' cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

The president on Saturday listened to a tour guide as they walked through the rows of white tombstones.

Trump told reporters that he supported a plan to expand the cemetery so it could continue to hold burials for decades to come.

Trump visits Marines at Washington barracks, speaks at veterans’ event

President Donald Trump visited with Marines and spoke at a White House veterans' conference Thursday amid fallout over his decision not to visit an American cemetery during his weekend trip to Paris to commemorate the end of World War I.

By Jill Colvin, The Associated Press

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President Donald Trump Arlington National Cemetery Wreaths Across America Trump criticized for skipping cemetery visit in France during World War I commemorations Trump skipped visiting Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day

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