President Biden arrived Wednesday in France to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion as he seeks to solidify support for European allies and contrast his global leadership with political rival former President Trump.
Biden touched down in Paris in the morning and was greeted by French officials, including Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.
The president will travel to Normandy on Thursday, where he will deliver remarks focused on democracy and freedom and meet with U.S. veterans and veterans of other allies who participated in the 1944 invasion, which marked a major turning point in World War II.
He is expected to give remarks at Pointe du Hoc, France, on Friday and then travel back to Paris over the weekend with first lady Jill Biden for a state visit with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte.
“President Biden has made revitalizing our relationships a key priority, recognizing of course that we are stronger when we act together and that today’s challenges require global solutions and global responses,” White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said Tuesday.
Biden and Macron’s visit is expected to deepen their transatlantic relationship and Indo-Pacific cooperation, along with boosting efforts to increase clean energy investigations and highlight their nations’ cooperation ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Kirby said.
He will cap off the visit with a stop at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, near Paris, where Trump reportedly referred to the Marines buried there as “losers” and “suckers” in 2018.
Kirby said Biden “looks forward to paying respects” to these veterans when asked about his visit to the cemetery.
“The message is simple: that the service and the sacrifice of American troops in wars overseas, World War I … and of course World War II, should never be forgotten,” Kirby said. “Those are the messages that the president is trying to send with these visits. That in these two wars, of course these brave soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines, they didn’t sacrifice their futures for nothing and we need to take every opportunity that we can to acknowledge that.”
Biden has repeatedly used those remarks to attack the former president as the two prepare to face off in November’s election. During a fundraiser Monday, Biden told donors, “Losers and suckers! Who in the hell does he think he is?”
The overseas trip comes as the incumbent attempts to sharply contrast his values and international leadership with Trump, who was convicted last week of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with a hush money scheme.
Other leaders, including King Charles III, will also travel to France this week to mark the anniversary.
Updated on June 6 at 7:50 a.m. EDT