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Embracing frail veterans making what could be their final journey to the windswept bluffs where they made history, the President appeared genuinely moved by the weight of what had happened there.
And he buttressed an alliance system that emerged from the violence, despite having in the past questioned some of the institutions forged from the bloodshed.
“You are the glory of our republic and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” Trump said in remarks at the Normandy American Cemetery in northern France.
“These men enlisted their lives in a great crusade, one of the greatest of all times,” he said. “Their mission is the story of an epic battle and the ferocious eternal struggle between good and evil.”
Speaking after his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Trump said the country’s debt to the veterans who participated in the landings was “everlasting.”
“Today we express our undying gratitude,” Trump said.
Trump is the latest in a string of presidents to mark the anniversary of D-Day in France, each successive ceremony seeing fewer and fewer of the veterans who carried out the harrowing mission make it back to the blustery cliffs and stretches of sand.
Now in their 90s, and of a thinning generation with first-hand memory of the war, those veterans joined Trump and other world leaders to mark the occasion near the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer.
Trump singled out Russell Pickett, the last known survivor of Company A, among the first waves of American infantrymen who landed on Omaha Beach.
In his Army cap and standing with the help of a cane, Pickett rose to embrace the President after Trump recounted his story.
“Tough guy,” Trump said after sharing quiet words with the veteran.
Later, Trump sits for talks with Macron before departing for his golf course in Ireland, where he is spending two nights.
In his speech, Trump said the commemoration ceremonies on the cliffs and beaches of Normandy were meant to honor the men – many just teenagers – who lost their lives there.
“We come not only because of what they did here, we come because of who they were. They were young men with their entire lives before them,” Trump said.
Born a year after the fighting ended, Trump is a beneficiary of the post-war prosperity those veterans’ gallantry helped provide. And while Trump this week has already hailed the heroism of the Allied forces, he also downplayed the very notion of obligatory military service, saying his own avoidance of the Vietnam War was because he “was not a fan of that war.”
The comment, and Trump’s habit of desecrating certain war heroes while wrapping himself in the militaristic elements of his position, colored Thursday’s appearance, which comes after a state visit to the United Kingdom.
During his three-day stay in London, Trump’s hosts sought to underscore the importance of the western alliance and the geopolitical systems that were put in place after the war – some of which, like NATO and the European Union, Trump has questioned.
British Prime Minister Theresa May gifted the President a copy of the Atlantic Charter, which defined US and UK goals for the war and its aftermath.
Queen Elizabeth II, staunchly apolitical, said during a toast that the international institutions created after the war were as necessary as ever.
“While the world has changed, we are forever mindful of the original purpose of these structures: nations working together to safeguard a hard-won peace,” she said.
Appearing wowed by the trappings of royal hospitality, Trump has hailed transatlantic alliances during his gracious public appearances.
He repeated those affirmations in his remarks on Thursday.
“Our cherished alliance was forged in the heat of battle, tested in the trials of war, and proven in the blessings of peace,” Trump said. “Our bond is unbreakable.”
Photos: In pictures: President Trump in Europe
US President Donald Trump, visiting the Normandy American Cemetery in France, participates in a ceremony to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day on Thursday, June 6.
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Alex Brandon/AP
Photos: In pictures: President Trump in Europe
Trump and his wife, Melania, visit the graves of troops who died on D-Day.
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Photos: In pictures: President Trump in Europe
The Trumps are joined by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, as they watch a flyover on June 6.
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Photos: In pictures: President Trump in Europe
A World War II veteran shows Trump a photo of himself with the President.
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Photos: In pictures: President Trump in Europe
Trump addresses the commemoration ceremony in France.
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Macron and Trump embrace during the D-Day ceremony.
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A World War II veteran looks over Trump's shoulder during the commemoration ceremony.
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Photos: In pictures: President Trump in Europe
At a D-Day event held Wednesday, June 5, in Portsmouth, England, Trump reads a prayer that President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave over the radio on D-Day.
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Photos: In pictures: President Trump in Europe
Trump heads back after speaking at the event in Portsmouth on June 5.
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Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles play host to the Trumps at the D-Day event in Portsmouth. British Prime Minister Theresa May is at left.
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Photos: In pictures: President Trump in Europe
Trump meets with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines of the D-Day event in Portsmouth.
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Photos: In pictures: President Trump in Europe
The Trumps pose for a photo ahead of a dinner at Winfield House in London on Tuesday, June 4. Joining them, from left, are Woody Johnson, the US ambassador to the United Kingdom; Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall; Prince Charles; and Johnson's wife, Suzanne Ircha.
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Photos: In pictures: President Trump in Europe
Trump and Prince Charles share a toast at Winfield House.
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Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May speak at the dinner on June 4.
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Melania Trump spends time with Camilla and Suzanne Ircha, the wife of the US ambassador.
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Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, center, arrives at Winfield House, where the Trumps are staying during their visit.
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Photos: In pictures: President Trump in Europe
Trump and May give a joint news conference on June 4. "I think she's done a very good job," Trump said, reversing past critiques of her failure to strike a Brexit deal that both Parliament and the EU can accept.
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Photos: In pictures: President Trump in Europe
Trump and May are followed by their spouses as they make their way to the news conference in London on June 4. The President offered plenty of praise for May, who recently announced her resignation.
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Photos: In pictures: President Trump in Europe
Philip May and Melania Trump attend a garden party at No. 10 Downing Street.
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Larry, the No. 10 Downing Street cat, sits underneath The Beast, the presidential armored Cadillac.
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Trump speaks opposite May at a business roundtable discussion in London.
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Trump stands next to Queen Elizabeth II before a state banquet at Buckingham Palace on Monday, June 3. Joining them are Melania Trump, Prince Charles and Camilla.
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Photos: In pictures: President Trump in Europe
The state banquet had a few hundred guests, including several of Trump's children.
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Trump and the Queen laugh during the state banquet.
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The Trumps tour Westminster Abbey on June 3.
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Photos: In pictures: President Trump in Europe
The President signed the guestbook at Westminster Abbey. "Thank you so much," his message said. "This has been a great honor. Special place."
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Photos: In pictures: President Trump in Europe
The Trumps are joined by Prince Andrew as they pay their respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey.
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The President's convoy drives down Pall Mall in London on June 3.
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Queen Elizabeth II welcomes the Trumps to Buckingham Palace. She took them on a tour of the royal collection.
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Photos: In pictures: President Trump in Europe
Among the items on display was "American Pewter Thoroughbred," a gift that Trump gave the Queen last year.
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Trump inspects a guard of honor at Buckingham Palace.
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The US National Anthem is played during a welcoming ceremony at Buckingham Palace. From left are Melania Trump, the Queen, Trump, Charles and Camilla.
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Photos: In pictures: President Trump in Europe
British Army troops fire a cannon in London's Green Park to mark the beginning of Trump's visit.
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Photos: In pictures: President Trump in Europe
The Queen greets the President as he arrives at Buckingham Palace.
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Photos: In pictures: President Trump in Europe
Prince Charles greets Trump as he steps off Marine One at Buckingham Palace.
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Photos: In pictures: President Trump in Europe
The Trumps are welcomed in London by Charles and Camilla.
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Photos: In pictures: President Trump in Europe
Trump's daughter Ivanka, who is also advisor to the President, looks out of a window at Buckingham Palace.
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People outside Buckingham Palace photograph the Changing of the Guard ahead of Trump's arrival on June 3.
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Photos: In pictures: President Trump in Europe
The Trumps arrive at Winfield House, the residence of the US ambassador, on June 3.
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Amnesty International installs "Resist Trump" banners on Vauxhall Bridge in London.
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Marine One flies past the BT Tower in London.
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The Trumps walk toward Marine One after arriving at London's Stansted Airport on June 3.
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The President salutes troops as he and the first lady arrive at Stansted Airport.
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Trump is greeted by UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt after arriving at the airport.
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The Trumps arrive at Stansted Airport.
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A day earlier, Trump stuck closely to script when he appeared onstage to read a prayer during a commemoration ceremony in Portsmouth, on the English south coast.
“Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity,” Trump intoned before dancers emerged to the upbeat strains of “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B,” the wartime ditty sung by the Andrews Sisters.
His reading came from a radio address President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered on the evening of the Normandy landings.
But even under the weight of history, Trump has also lashed out at all manner of foes, including potential 2020 rival, Democrat Joe Biden, Bette Midler and the mayor of the city in which he was staying.
Confronted during an interview with his own avoidance of war during Vietnam – he received a draft deferment for bone spurs in his foot – Trump revealed a view that questioned the idea of service as a national obligation.
“Well, I was never a fan of that war, I’ll be honest with you. I thought it was a terrible war,” Trump said. “I thought it was very far away.”
Usually, presidents seek to rise above partisan sniping when overseas or marking moments of historic significance – or both, as Trump is doing this week.
His divided mindset was apparent as he was preparing to depart Ireland for France on Thursday morning.
Quoting a Fox News host and close friend, Trump vented that mainstream media outlets weren’t covering his UK visit positively enough.
