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Donald Trump’s Veterans Day Address Takes Wild MAGA Detour—And Viewers Notice

Donald Trump’s Veterans Day speech at Arlington veers off-script into a fiery MAGA rally full of political jabs and trademark theatrics.

By Sohini Sengupta
It was supposed to be a moment of national unity. But at Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day, Donald Trump did what he does best: he made it about himself. What began as a ceremony to honor America’s veterans became a full-blown MAGA revival tour. He also added takedowns of "sick people" and "thieves." With Vice President JD Vance and Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, Trump laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. At the time, it looked like he’d stick to the script, but then came the speech! "Under my leadership," he began, before entering campaign mode. What followed sounded like a rally. He claimed his administration "fired thousands of sadists, thieves, and sick people" from the VA (9,000, to be exact) and blamed Joe Biden for hiring them back. "When Biden came in, he hired them back, many of them," Trump said, "but we got rid of them (...) permanently." The president's showmanship is not new, but watching it play out in Arlington made it much worse. He rattled off statistics ("three million backlog claims [processed]," "veterans’ unemployment rate has fallen by more than 26%") like he was reciting lines from a flyer. Then, Trump launched into a rant about migrants in "luxury hotels" while American veterans were "sitting on the sidewalks." And guess what? Donald Trump described them as "murderers" and "d--- dealers" right there. His speech was way too divisive. His comments paint the image of an America overrun by outsiders while its heroes are forgotten. Even the announcement of a new "Victory Day" holiday (celebration of U.S. wins in World Wars I and II) had that political tone. "They were all celebrating," Trump said about France, Russia, and the U.K. "We’re the ones who won the wars!"  To his credit, Donald Trump offered respect, too. He thanked veterans for their "strong (...) proud shoulders," and initiatives like the "National Center for Warrior Independence," which houses 6,000 veterans. Yet even those mentions came with "I signed," "I created," and "under my leadership." By the end, the speech had a political angle that had no business being there.  Supporters commended him for "telling it like it is," while those against him saw the speech as "tone-deaf." Within hours, videos of his most recent outburst went viral on social media. Ironically, though, Veterans Day is designed to drum up unity. However, it became part of the Donald Trump brand of anger and pride that has defined his political image for almost a decade now.

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