ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY — President Trump claimed victory in the war with Iran and said a planned memorial arch would honor members of the military during a Tuesday visit to Arlington National Cemetery, where he paid tribute to the nation’s veterans.
“To every veteran here at Arlington and across the nation, we offer our highest salute,” the president said, describing veterans as a “guiding light” for the country.
Trump laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and saluted those who gave their lives in service to the United States.
His Veterans Day address combined a tribute to military service with a warning aimed at what he called the nation’s internal enemies.
Trump did not directly name the incoming Democratic majority on Capitol Hill, whose members have threatened to subpoena and jail officials in his administration and members of his family. But he appeared to be referring to them when he warned against people who could harm the United States with their “horrible ideology.”
“We’re not going to allow anyone to hurt or damage our country with bad, foolish, horrible ideology. We’re not going to let it happen. And everyone knows what I mean,” the president said.
The combative remarks came as Trump’s White House counsel warned the incoming chairman of the House Oversight Committee. The exchange reflects new Chief of Staff Stephen Miller’s aggressive approach to Washington’s shifting balance of power.
Trump also highlighted his plan to build a memorial arch on a circle of land between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial.
“We’re going to dedicate a magnificent triumphal arch to our veterans,” he said. “They’ve been waiting for it for 200 years.”
Trump’s confidence came as nine members of the Kennedy political dynasty asked a judge Tuesday to block the project. They argued that the proposed 250-foot structure would cast a shadow over the gravesites of their relatives at Arlington National Cemetery.
The memorial arch faces multiple lawsuits, and a federal judge has paused construction while the legal challenges move through the courts.
The president also addressed the country’s ongoing conflict with Iran.
He offered special thanks to veterans “working to ensure the world’s number one sponsor of state terrorism, the Islamic Republic of Iran, will never have a nuclear weapon.”
“We won,” Trump said of the conflict with Iran. “It’s just a question of when we end it. I want to make sure we have a total victory, not a 93 percent victory.”
Trump said Monday that the Iran war was “effectively over” from a military standpoint, while indicating that his administration would maintain the “status quo” of economically isolating Tehran. That approach includes a naval blockade and a newly announced effort to cut off overland trade routes.
He said the strategy would help protect American allies in the region from harm.
Trump was joined at the national holiday observance by first lady Melania Trump and Vice President Vance. Veterans Secretary Doug Collins served as host.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who had just survived an effort by the House of Representatives to impeach him, sat in the front row. Collins gave Hegseth a fist bump, and Trump praised him, prompting loud cheers from the veterans gathered at the cemetery.
“I had a feeling that would happen,” Trump said of the crowd’s reaction. “He’s done a fantastic job. He loves you and protects you.”
The president also recognized veterans in attendance, including 103-year-old World War II Army veteran Jack Myers, who received loud cheers and a standing ovation. Myers, a resident of Hagerstown, Maryland, is recognized as the last known surviving veteran of the U.S. Army’s 692nd Tank Destroyer Battalion.
