Watch CBS News

President Trump Marks Memorial Day With Visit To Arlington National Cemetery

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Fresh off his first foreign trip as commander-in-chief, President Donald Trump was back in Washington honoring the fallen on Memorial Day.

Trump laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery during his first public appearance following his overseas trip.

He praised and thanked soldiers and their families for their sacrifice.

"Words cannot measure the depth of their devotion, the purity of their love or the totality of their courage. We only hope that every day we can prove worthy," Trump said.

Trump also visited a section of the cemetery where U.S. military members killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried. Among those laid to rest in Section 60 is Robert Kelly, son of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly. The younger Kelly was a Marine killed in Afghanistan in November 2010. Before joining the Trump administration, Secretary Kelly served as the top Marine commander in Iraq.

Trump walked among the white marble headstones and greeted families who were at the cemetery to remember the nation's war dead.

Trump greeted a few women who told him they had lost their sons. One identified her son as a Navy SEAL. Vice President Mike Pence, who accompanied the president, hugged one of the women.

Earlier Monday, Pence helped kick off a Project Hero bike ride. The national non-profit supports physical and mental rehabilitation programs for injured veterans and first responders. Riders will bike to Virginia Beach.

Monday's appearance comes as the president deals with new allegations against his son-in-law. Several reports claim Jared Kushner proposed setting up a secret channel of communication with the Kremlin and the Trump transition team.

In interviews Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said he did not know if the reports are true. But he said if they are, "I think any channel of communication, back or otherwise, with a country like Russia is a good thing."

National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster told reporters in an off-camera news conference that he does not find backchannel communications with Russia problematic.

"What that allows you to do is to communicate in a discreet manner, so it doesn't predispose you toward any sort of content of that conversation or anything," McMaster said. "So no, I would not be concerned about it."

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.