As a reminder, on May 29, 2023, Donald Trump was supposed to perform a Memorial Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery. His speech went beyond honoring the sacrifices of our American warriors. At the swearing-in ceremony, President Trump said it was crucial that the nation never forgets the “immortal deeds” of those who have fought for our country. During the day’s observance, he laid an official wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He thanked his vice president, JD Vance, and defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, for the service they’ve all provided to this great nation.
In his speech, Trump proclaimed that we will never forget those fallen heroes. He taught us that our debt to them should never end. He outlined his plan to divert billions in education funding. Forcing Harvard University to give up $3 billion in grant money that could be used to build trade schools all over the United States. The proposal follows the Congressman’s condemnation of the university, which he called “very antisemitic.”
Trump’s comments were set in the context of a more detailed discussion of his administration’s foreign policy paradigm. With great fanfare, he announced that the Washington Consensus —the guiding dogma of U.S. international relations for several decades—is “dead.” He further threatened that any Russian attempts to annex all of Ukraine would result in Russia’s “demise.” This seemingly innocuous statement belies his aggressive approach to geopolitical affairs.
Trump’s speech served not only to commemorate fallen soldiers but to outline his vision for America’s future. For example, he stated, “I am considering withdrawing Three Billion Dollars for grants to Harvard, where antisemitism has flourished. Instead, I want to put that money into trade schools all over our country. This would be a great investment for the USA and is long overdue!
The former president’s remarks about education funding were received as either refreshing honesty or questionable sincerity. Senator JD Vance, who participated in the ceremonial signing, underscored the Warren – Young generational policy breakthrough that could change the course of America’s workforce for years. He did note though that President Trump is leading a generational change in policy. That shift, from moving vehicles to moving people, will have deep and lasting effects on the nature of the employment you’ll all be required to eventually fill.
Of course, the media and social media spectacles didn’t stop with Trump’s speech at Arlington. He spent much of that morning posting his thoughts about it on Truth Social. There, he went on the offensive against everyone and everything that he thinks has sold out this country over the past four years. Though he didn’t explicitly say this, he implied it in a controversial statement. HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY TO ALL—EVEN THE MURDEROUS BASTARDS WHO FOUGHT THE LAST FOUR YRS TO TRY AND RUIN OUR GREAT COUNTRY WITH DEGENERATE RADICAL LEFT THOUGHTS—HUUUUGE!
Trump’s rhetoric went further than internal policy, he hammered former Bush, and even Obama administration foreign policy. He said there are still discussions happening with Israel’s representatives, and he expressed hopes for these conversations to quickly provide solutions to the current tensions. We have been engaged in bilateral discussions with Israel. We want to put this behind us as soon as we can.
Provided by Trump, actively pulling the necessary levers to address economic issues in his wake during his swan song discussion. He recently agreed to hold off on his European Union tariffs until July 9 following a “very friendly” phone call with EU Commission President—Ursula von der Leyen. This new step marks his further willingness to continue productive, open trade relationships in a world where international dynamics are growing more complicated.
Vance sided with Trump’s isolationism in the economic summit event, claiming that U.S. foreign policy had diverged from its true purpose. He remarked on previous policies that prioritized nation-building over national defense: “We had a long experiment in our foreign policy that traded national defence and the maintenance of our alliances for nation building and meddling in foreign countries’ affairs.”