Biden ends trip to France by paying his respects at American cemetery Trump refused to visit but mixes up Ukraine with Iraq in his call for the U.S. to 'show up' for allies

President Joe Biden said helium couldn't travel to Normandy and not halt astatine the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery to wage his respects to the Marines who died successful World War I - a pointed jab astatine his Republican rival Donald Trump, who skipped a halt determination during his ain France trip.

‘More Marines were mislaid present than immoderate different conflict until the mediate of World War II. And the thought we tin travel to Normandy Beach, celebrate, amusement reverence for those we mislaid - I'm astir apt not speaking loudly,' Biden said connected Sunday, speaking successful a quiescent voice.

'The thought that I’d travel to Normandy and not marque the abbreviated travel to present to marque tribute,’ helium added. ‘And it's the aforesaid communicative deliberation astir it. America showed up. America showed up to halt the Germans. America showed up marque definite that they did not prevail. America shows up whenever needed, conscionable similar our allies amusement for us.'

But Biden declined to speech astir Trump, who refused to sojourn the cemetery astir 90 minutes extracurricular of Paris as president successful 2018, claiming the upwind wouldn't let him to marque the stop.

It was aboriginal revealed, however, that Trump refused to marque the sojourn due to the fact that helium feared his hairsbreadth would go disheveled successful the rainfall and due to the fact that helium did not judge it was important to grant the American warfare dead, calling them 'suckers' and 'losers.'

Biden, who laid a wreath astatine the cemetery, making the motion of the transverse and bowing his caput successful respect afterwards, wouldn't instrumentality a deed astatine his rival successful the 2024 predetermination erstwhile fixed the accidental to bash so.

When asked astir his erstwhile disapproval of Trump for not visiting the cemetery and what voters should instrumentality from his ain visit, Biden responded: 'Any different questions?'

He besides made a gaffe of the lingua erstwhile talking astir wherefore America should enactment its allies successful Europe, similar it did during the satellite wars.

He pointed to the backing holdup for the Ukraine, which was delayed by Congressional Republicans who were trying to negociate a woody connected U.S. borderline security.

But the president said 'Iraq' alternatively of Ukraine erstwhile trying to marque his point.

'I mean the thought that we had to hold each those months conscionable to get wealth for Iraq. … It’s not who we are. It’s not who America is,' helium said.

Biden met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky successful Paris connected Friday, wherever helium apologized for Republicans delaying the $61 cardinal bundle of backing and promised that the U.S. would proceed to basal with Ukraine successful its clip of need. 

'We're inactive successful ... completely, thoroughly,' Biden said during their gathering astatine a Paris hotel.

Both leaders were successful the French superior aft Thursday's 80th day of D-Day, which proved a accidental to underline planetary alliances against totalitarianism.

Biden besides said connected Sunday helium didn't privation to marque his sojourn to the cemetery idiosyncratic but noted helium couldn't assistance but deliberation astir his uncle, Second Lt. Ambrose J. Finnegan Jr., whom was changeable down implicit Papua New Guinea, and his lad Beau, who served successful Iraq. Beau died successful 2015 of encephalon cancer, which the president attributes to his lad being stationed adjacent pain pits.

The Aisne-Marne American Cemetery is located connected a 42.5-acre crippled 50 miles extracurricular of Paris, successful the Belleau Wood area. In June 1918, during World War I, U.S. Marines conducted a palmy counter-offensive against oncoming German forces, keeping them retired of Paris.

The cemetery contains the graves of 2,289 American warfare dead. 

Even though the president declined to speech astir Trump astatine the cemetery, helium has repeatedly criticized his Republican rival for calling soldiers 'losers and suckers.'

'Losers and suckers! Who successful the hellhole does helium deliberation helium is?' Biden has said.

During Trump's sojourn to France successful November 2018, helium skipped a sojourn to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery. At the time, the White House blamed the rainy, foggy weather, saying Marine One could not marque the formation and determination was not capable clip to assemble the information indispensable for a motorcade, which requires streets to beryllium unopen down on the route.

But aboriginal it was revealed Trump did not privation to go.

The Atlantic, citing aggregate sources, reported Trump said: 'Why should I spell to that cemetery? It's filled with losers.' And helium referred to the marines who mislaid their lives astatine Belleau Wood arsenic 'suckers' for getting killed.

The erstwhile president has contested the account, saying the Secret Service refused to fto him marque the halt owed to the atrocious weather. 

Biden has railed against Trump repeatedly astir the incidental and contrasts it to the work of his late-son Beau Biden, who was successful the Delaware National Guard.

Biden spent 5 days successful France, 2 of which astatine Normandy, wherever helium paid tribute to the American veterans who fought connected D-Day successful World War II and helium gave a code astatine Pointe du Hoc, wherever Army Rangers scaled a 100-foot cliff nether dense German fire.

He and the archetypal woman besides joined French President Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte Macron for a ceremonial authorities sojourn connected Saturday that included an opulent authorities dinner at Elysee Palace, wherever helium cemented French-American relations.

'France was our archetypal state and that's not insignificant,' Biden said during his toast.

'The information of the substance is you were with america to assistance america unafraid our state and we were with you 170 years aboriginal to bash the same. And ever since we've remained united, unyielding, arsenic good arsenic unwavering successful our partnership.'

Singer Pharrell Williams, actors Salma Hayek and Léa Seydoux, tennis large John McEnroe, successful municipality for the French Open, were each connected the impermanent list, on with governmental heavyweights and titans of the manner industry.

Earlier the 2 leaders discussed tackling China, arsenic good arsenic conflicts successful Gaza and Ukraine. And though determination are tensions implicit trade, the 2 were keen to item areas of agreement.

They said the 2 countries volition enactment to incorporate tensions astir the Israeli warfare against the Hamas militant group.

'We are redoubling efforts unneurotic to debar a determination explosion, peculiarly successful Lebanon,' said Macron.

Biden volition onshore successful Wilmington, Del., connected Sunday to walk the time successful his location state. 

Next week, helium volition crook astir and instrumentality to Europe connected Thursday, wherever helium volition be a G7 gathering successful Italy.