Donald Trump was absent from a Friday ceremony in Delaware when U.S. officials received the remains of four soldiers passed away due to a training mishap in Lithuania last month.
Rather than being elsewhere, the president has been in Florida since yesterday, where he attended the start of a three-day event for the Saudi-supported LIV Golf series at one of his golf clubs before planning to head out on Friday. fundraising dinner at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
"The Secretary of Defense will represent the Administration at the dignified transfer ceremony for the four courageous U.S. servicemen who sadly lost their lives during a training exercise in Lithuania," stated the White House. told The Hill .
The Trump campaign and conservative media Previously, Joe Biden was critiqued for glancing at his wristwatch during a solemn transfer ceremony.
A cluster of Democratic senators reportedly were present at the transfer ceremony held at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, among them Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin along with Senators Tammy Duckworth and Chris Coons.
The Lithuanian leadership, which includes President Gitanas Nauseda, held a ceremony earlier this week in Vilnius to honor the farewell of the four soldiers whose armoured vehicle had plunged into a peat bog. These fallen servicemen include Troy Knutson-Collins from Battle Creek, Michigan at age 28; Jose Duenez Jr., aged 25 from Joliet, Illinois; Edvin Franco, 25 years old from Glendale, California; and Dante Taitano, only 21 years old hailing from Dededo, Guam.
Several veterans expressed disapproval over Trump's choice to miss the U.S. ceremony.
"I've never felt more ashamed to be an American over the past several months, and now, Donald Trump is utterly disregarding four of my fellow soldiers just to play golf," said Blythe Potter, a military police corps veteran who served in Iraq. told Mediate.
During his first term, Trump participated in fewer prestigious transfer ceremonies compared to what was usual. reportedly He stayed away from similar events for almost two years following an incident where the father of a deceased Navy SEAL harshly criticized him due to a botched raid in Yemen that resulted in his son's death.
On Tuesday, the final remnants of U.S. soldiers were found after an extensive search and recovery operation conducted jointly by American, Lithuanian, and Polish officials.
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