President Biden arrived in France on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion as he seeks to solidify support for European allies and contrast his global leadership with political rival former President Trump.
Biden touched down in Paris on Wednesday morning and was welcomed by French officials, including Prime Minister Garbiel Attal.
The president will travel to Normandy on Thursday, where he will deliver remarks focused on democracy and freedom and meet with U.S. veterans and veterans of other allies who participated in the 1944 invasion, which marked a major turning point in World War II. .
He is expected to deliver remarks in Pointe du Hoc, France, on Friday and then travel back to Paris over the weekend with first lady Jill Biden for a state visit to French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife , Brigitte.
“President Biden has made revitalizing our relationships a key priority, recognizing, of course, that we are stronger when we act together and that today’s challenges require global solutions and global responses,” said the US National Security Communications Advisor. White House John Kirby on Tuesday.
Biden and Macron’s visit is expected to deepen their transatlantic relationship and Indo-Pacific cooperation, along with increasing efforts to increase clean energy investigations and highlight their countries’ cooperation ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Kirby said.
He will end the visit with a stop at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris, where Trump reportedly referred to the Marines buried there as “losers” and “suckers” in 2018.
Kirby said Biden “looks forward to paying tribute” to these veterans when asked about his visit to the cemetery.
“The message is simple: that the service and sacrifice of American troops in wars abroad, in World War I… and, of course, in World War II, must never be forgotten,” Kirby said. “These are the messages the president is trying to convey with these visits. That in these two wars, it is clear that these brave soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, did not sacrifice their future for anything and we need to take every opportunity we can to recognize that.”
Biden repeatedly used those comments to attack the former president as the two prepared to face off in the November elections. During a fundraiser on Monday, Biden told donors: “Losers and suckers! Who the hell does he think he is?”
The foreign trip comes as the current president seeks to sharply contrast his values and international leadership with those of Trump, who was convicted last week of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with a hush-money scheme.
Other leaders, including King Charles III, will also travel to France this week to mark the anniversary.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
