PORTSMOUTH, England – On the final leg of his three-day state visit to Britain, President Donald Trump will join Queen Elizabeth II and leaders from around the world in paying respects to Allied service members who 75 years ago took part in the D-Day landings that helped liberate Europe from Nazi Germany's military occupation.
Several hours before the event, Trump launched into a Wednesday morning tweet storm, criticizing the "Corrupt Media," praising his "warm" treatment by Britain's royal family and offering condolences to Israel's president on the death of his wife.
In a series of tweets, Trump also unleashed attacks on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, former Vice President Joe Biden and even actress and singer Bette Midler.
The Normandy landings on June 6, 1994, were the largest land, air and sea invasion in history and Portsmouth Naval Base, near where the commemorations are taking place Wednesday, served as a key launch pad for those forces.
In addition to Trump, Prime Minister Theresa May is hosting 14 other leaders in Portsmouth, including France's Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Angela Merkel and Canada's Justin Trudeau. Prince Charles attended with representatives from every country that participated in the storming of the beaches along France's northwestern coast in a surprise attack involving 5,000 ships, 11,000 airplanes and 150,000 soldiers. More than 4,000 Allied service members – more than half of them American – died in the assault credited with changing the course of the war.
World War II D-Day: 5 to know on the 75th anniversary of Normandy landings
"At this time of reflection for veterans of the conflict and their families, I am sure that these commemorations will provide an opportunity to honor those who made extraordinary sacrifices to secure freedom in Europe. They must never be forgotten," the queen said in a special message to mark the occasion.
In a news conference on Tuesday with May, Trump said he was grateful for the warm welcome he has received from the royal family and the prime minister during his visit to Britain. "The bonds of friendship forged here and sealed in blood on those hallowed beaches will endure forever," Trump said at the news conference.
He said the D-Day landings "may have been the greatest battle ever in history."
Before and after: Photos reveal dramatic changes since D-Day
Ahead of the commemorations, the countries taking part issued a joint statement pledging to make sure the "unimaginable horror" of World War II did not happen again.
In Portsmouth, the story of the build-up to the invasion will be told through live music, performances and readings. A Royal Navy ship will fire a gun salute and there will a air show of historic aircraft including British Red Arrows and Spitfire.
Later Wednesday, Trump will make his first visit as president to Ireland, where he will hold meetings with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at Shannon Airport, before spending the night at the Trump golf club in Doonbeg. He will then travel to France for further D-Day commemorations focused on honoring Americans killed in the fighting.
75th D-Day anniversary: The Pieper twins are finally together in Normandy
Prior to the ceremonies, Trump took part in a broadcast interview with "Good Morning Britain," telling host Piers Morgan that he meant no harm when he used the term "nasty" in discussing the American-born Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle. The phrase generated a lot of media coverage and Trump sought to clarify that he was speaking specifically on her comments about him, not about her.
"She was nasty to me. And that’s okay for her to be nasty, it’s not good for me to be nasty to her and I wasn’t," Trump said in the interview, which he also used to play down an earlier comment that any trade deal between the U.S. and Britain after the latter leaves the European Union could involve Britain's National Health Service, a prospect that has alarmed many Britons and politicians
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/06/05/donald-trump-queen-elizabeth-75th-anniversary-d-day-invasion/1349585001/
2019-06-05 10:23:38Z
52780309364655
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "'Extraordinary sacrifices': Trump joins Queen Elizabeth II for D-Day anniversary in Portsmouth - USA TODAY"
Post a Comment