PARIS: US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden will complete their meeting trip To France with a stop on Sunday american cemetery that former president Donald embers refused visit It came under widespread criticism in 2018.
The Bidens will visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in Belleau, about 85 kilometers east of Paris, to pay their respects to the United States soldiers and sailors killed during World War I.
Democrat Biden is running against Republican Trump for re-election in November. The visit will give him another chance to contrast his rival.
Trump’s White House announced in 2018 that the president, who was also traveling to France, could not visit the cemetery due to bad weather conditions. In the light rain he was replaced by then-chief of staff, retired general John Kelly.
Biden is wrapping up a five-day trip that includes a commemoration of the 80th anniversary of D-Day with World War II veterans in Normandy and a state visit in Paris.
Throughout the trip, he made subtle references to Trump without naming him, including a speech at the Normandy coastal site where U.S. Army Rangers scaled a 100-foot cliff during the D-Day landings. While Biden has sought to preserve strong US alliances, Trump has criticized NATO and threatened not to defend its members unless they pay more for their defense.
Asked last week about Biden’s trip to an American cemetery, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre responded: “He’s not just the president. Right? He’s the commander in chief.”