President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance participated in Veterans Day observances at Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday, taking part in a series of ceremonial tributes honoring American service members. The event included the traditional wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a longstanding national ritual held annually to recognize those who served and those who died without recognition.
The ceremony drew military families, veterans, active-duty personnel, and visitors who traveled to Arlington to observe the national holiday. Veterans Day, first established as Armistice Day after World War I and later expanded to honor all who served, remains one of the most widely recognized commemorations of military service in the United States.
Trump and Vance arrived at Arlington early in the morning, joining military officials and representatives from veterans’ organizations. The atmosphere was quiet and formal, consistent with the cemetery’s traditions. Rows of headstones stretched across the hills as attendees gathered around the Memorial Amphitheater for the day’s program.
Among the central moments was the laying of the wreath, a symbolic act of national remembrance performed by presidents for decades. As Trump placed the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the crowd stood in silence. The ritual is meant to honor unnamed service members whose remains could not be identified and who represent countless others lost in war.