President Donald Trump kicked off Memorial Day with a scorched-earth post on Truth Social—one that barely acknowledged fallen service members and instead targeted his political enemies with insults, false statistics, and campaign rhetoric.
Posted just before 7 a.m. ET, the all-caps message quickly drew backlash for its tone and content.
Memorial Day Was for Mourning—Trump Made It About the Border
Memorial Day is a solemn occasion in the U.S.—a time to honor those who died while serving in the military. For most presidents, it’s a day of reverence and unity. But for Trump, now deep into his re-election campaign, it became another stage for political warfare.
This year’s post, laced with inflammatory language and conspiracy-laden claims, has already drawn condemnation from veterans’ groups, legal scholars, and even members of his own party. And while this isn’t the first time Trump has politicized military memorials, the tone and timing of this year’s post have struck a particularly raw nerve.
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The Message in Full
HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY TO ALL, INCLUDING THE SCUM THAT SPENT THE LAST FOUR YEARS TRYING TO DESTROY OUR COUNTRY THROUGH WARPED RADICAL LEFT MINDS, WHO ALLOWED 21,000,000 MILLION PEOPLE TO ILLEGALLY ENTER OUR COUNTRY, MANY OF THEM BEING CRIMINALS AND THE MENTALLY INSANE, THROUGH AN OPEN BORDER THAT ONLY AN INCOMPETENT PRESIDENT WOULD APPROVE, AND THROUGH JUDGES WHO ARE ON A MISSION TO KEEP MURDERERS, DRUG DEALERS, RAPISTS, GANG MEMBERS, AND RELEASED PRISONERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, IN OUR COUNTRY SO THEY CAN ROB, MURDER, AND RAPE AGAIN — ALL PROTECTED BY THESE USA HATING JUDGES WHO SUFFER FROM AN IDEOLOGY THAT IS SICK, AND VERY DANGEROUS FOR OUR COUNTRY. HOPEFULLY THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT, AND OTHER GOOD AND COMPASSIONATE JUDGES THROUGHOUT THE LAND, WILL SAVE US FROM THE DECISIONS OF THE MONSTERS WHO WANT OUR COUNTRY TO GO TO HELL. BUT FEAR NOT, WE HAVE MADE GREAT PROGRESS OVER THE LAST 4 MONTHS, AND AMERICA WILL SOON BE SAFE AND GREAT AGAIN! AGAIN, HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY, AND GOD BLESS AMERICA!
This was the second version of the post—the original, which contained minor grammatical errors, was quietly deleted and reposted shortly after.
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The Ceremonial Flip Side
Later in the day, Trump is scheduled to visit Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and deliver remarks—likely with a far more traditional tone. During his first term, he largely stuck to prepared remarks for these occasions. But his online presence has always told a different story.
Back in 2018, Trump tweeted that fallen soldiers “would be very happy and proud” of how the country was doing under his leadership. And just last year, his campaign faced criticism for filming a political video at Arlington without the consent of all the families whose loved ones’ graves appeared on camera.
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Memorial Day, MAGA-Style
Two days earlier, Trump gave a commencement speech at West Point that echoed Monday’s message. Wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat, he warned cadets against marrying “trophy wives,” dismissed previous wars as “mistakes,” and called diversity efforts in the military a threat to national security.
@right.wing.cope Trump’s West Point commencement audience is totally silent as he rants about trophy wives and yachts #kamala #democrats #politicstiktok #politics #news #biden #Trump ♬ original sound – Right Wing Hypocrisy
“The job of the U.S. armed forces is not to host drag shows,” he said, “but to annihilate threats to America, anywhere, anytime.”
For many Americans, Memorial Day is a moment to pause, remember, and reflect. For President Trump, it’s something else entirely—a chance to campaign, provoke, and remind everyone exactly who’s in charge.
