The contrast between President Biden’s thoughtful and appropriate Memorial Day remarks and defendant Donald Trump’s petty and vengeful remarks tangentially related to the long standing observance is as stark as it is predictable. I think it is still worthwhile to examine this contrast.
President Biden started his remarks with a reminder of what it is that Memorial Day commemorates, which is easy to forget in these days of interest-free financing for major furniture purchases. You can read his whole address on the White House website. I will be quoting a few paragraphs that stand out to me.
One hundred and sixty years ago this month, in the midst of the Civil War, the first American soldier was laid to rest at these hallowed grounds. Private William Christman, a farmworker from Pennsylvania, had enlisted just seven weeks before. There was no formal ceremony to consecrate this new sanctuary, no ... fanfare.
It came at a turning point in the war. As fighting shifted east, the casualties quickly mounted in the bloody, grinding campaign.
Over the next year, William would be joined in death, as he was in life, by his brother-in-arms in this final resting place. And these hills around us would be transformed from a former slave plantation into a national [shrine] for those American heroes who died for freedom, who died for us.
President Biden does not complain about his own problems, though he does have a personal pain that is relevant: he mentions the sacrifice of his son, Major Beau Biden, and he empathizes with other families who have lost relatives to war.
The president’s eloquent words are matched by his actions to support our troops, though of course that’s not how Fox “News” will report it.
I’ve long said we have many obligations as a nation. But we only have one truly sacred obligation: to prepare those we send into battle and to ... take care of them and their families when they come home and when they don’t.
Since I took office, I’ve signed over 30 bipartisan laws supporting servicemen, veterans and their families and caregivers, and survivors.
Last year, the VA delivered more benefits and processed more claims than ever in our history. And the PACT Act, which I was proud to have signed, has already guaranteed one million claims helping veterans exposed to toxic materials during their service — one million.
For too long, after fighting for our nation, these veterans had to fight to get the right healthcare, to get the benefits they had earned. Not anymore.
Our nation came together to ensure the burden is no longer on them to prove their illness was service-related, whether it was Agent Orange or toxic waste, to ensure they protected them — they just have to protect the United States — because it’s assumed that their death was a consequence of the exposure.
The president reminded future soldiers that their duty is to the ideals of the United States, not to any particular person, and certainly not to any particular president.
The president closed asking God to bless the fallen, their families, and our troops.
Before I quote any of defendant Donald Trump’s Memorial Day message, I thought I’d see if ChatGPT could write it for him. How hard could it be?
Plenty difficult, it turns out. After much tweaking of the prompt, this is the closest I could get ChatGPT to something believably Trumpian:
On this Memorial Day, we remember the brave men and women who sacrificed everything for our country. Their courage and dedication remind us of the true cost of freedom, a price that I deeply respect, especially during these trying times when I'm facing numerous ongoing criminal trials.
These heroes gave everything so we could enjoy our freedoms, freedoms that are currently under attack as I endure relentless legal challenges. It's a shame that in a country they fought to protect, a former president can be so unjustly targeted and persecuted.
As we honor the fallen, let's also recognize the unfairness that exists in our justice system. While they sacrificed for our liberties, I am being subjected to politically motivated trials that threaten to undermine the very principles they died defending.
Today, let's strive to appreciate the liberties we have and remember those who fought for them. And let's not forget to question and challenge the injustices happening in our country today.
On this Memorial Day, let us honor the fallen, appreciate the freedoms they fought to protect, and stand together against the injustices that threaten to erode our great nation.
Trump would never actually say this because there’s too much of an acknowledgement of other people’s sacrifices, and it’s also too eloquent to be genuine Trump.
Trump did post a passably decent Memorial Day message, which he later followed up with a message in which he quickly gets to denouncing his perceived enemies as “human scum,” complaining about the “wacko” judges in his trials, defaming E. Jean Carroll and impotently proclaiming his innocence.
As a palate cleanser, I quote a Hillary Clinton tweet.