President-elect Trump, VP-elect JD Vance lay wreath at Arlington Cemetery ahead of inauguration

WASHINGTON, DC:United States President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance on Sunday (local time) participated in a solemn ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, where they laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on the eve of the inauguration.

Once the ceremony was complete, both headed to a separate section of the cemetery, a burial site for military personnel killed while fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Trump and Vance spent nearly a half-hour talking to the families of soldiers killed in an ISIS suicide bomb attack at Abbey Gate outside of Kabul Airport in August 2021.

The incident was gruesome in America’s longest war, leaving dead 13 United States military service members and about 170 Afghans who were desperately seeking US help to flee the Taliban takeover of Kabul.

Speaking from Arlington National Cemetery, Diane, a supporter of Trump, expressed her pride in being part of the historic day.

#WATCH | Washington DC, USA | President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance lay wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

[Source: U.S. Network Pool via Reuters] pic.twitter.com/La1WLwKH46

— ANI (@ANI) January 19, 2025

“I am from Houston, Texas. I am here today for the inauguration ceremonies. It is an awesome day to be an American and I am standing in front of the Arlington Cemetary. President Trump will be laying the wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier shortly. I am the proudest American alive and appreciate everything he has done to persevere and get our country back on the right track,” she said.

Another supporter-duo shared their excitement ahead of the inauguration ceremonies in Washington, DC.

“We are here from Massachusettes to support Donald Trump. We are excited for him to be back at office because we are tired of putting other countries first and we want to make sure that we look up for Americans.”

A Trump supporter distributes copies of the Constitution to his supporters ahead of his Make America Great Again (MAGA) Victory Rally at Capital One Arena.

Notably, Trump’s inauguration celebrations kicked off with an exclusive friends and family event at Trump National golf course in Virginia on January 18, followed by a Victory Rally and an exclusive candlelight dinner on January 19. The celebrations culminate on January 20 with the official swearing-in ceremony followed by an official ball. (ANI)