President Trump marked Veterans Day at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and telling veterans that “while I’m President of the United States, we will always fulfill our duty to them,” according to remarks posted by the White House.
In the same speech, Trump said the United States intends to finish the conflict with Iran on its own terms. “We won. It’s just a question of when we end it,” he said, according to the White House pool report. “I want to make sure we have a total victory, not a 93 percent victory.” He thanked veterans “working to ensure the world’s number one sponsor of state terrorism, the Islamic Republic of Iran, will never have a nuclear weapon.”
The White House described the address as a tribute to “every Patriot who has worn the uniform,” and paired it with a list of what it called the administration’s results for veterans: a benefits backlog it says is down nearly 70% since Jan. 20, 2025, a record 3.11 million compensation claims processed in fiscal 2026, and more than 95,000 homeless veterans housed in fiscal 2025 and 2026, which it called the two highest years on record.
“On Veterans Day, we reaffirm our undying gratitude to every Patriot who has answered the call of duty,” Trump said, according to the White House text. “To every veteran here at Arlington and across the nation: today we render you the highest salute, we offer you our deepest respect and love, and we pledge you our utmost loyalty and devotion.”
The ceremony
Trump and Vice President JD Vance saluted at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as the national anthem played, and Trump laid a wreath with a military officer before taps, according to the pool report, written by Emily Goodin of the New York Post. The two were escorted to the Memorial Amphitheater by Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins and Maj. Gen. Antoinette Gant. First lady Melania Trump and Usha Vance sat in the front row, along with War Secretary Pete Hegseth and members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
When Trump introduced Hegseth, the secretary drew loud cheers, the pool reported. “I had a feeling that would happen,” Trump said. “He’s done a fantastic job. He loves you and protects you.” The House voted 211-204 on Tuesday to send Rep. Thomas Massie’s impeachment resolution against Hegseth to the Judiciary Committee, as The Washington Inquisitor reported.
The president also recognized four veterans by name, according to the White House: Cpl. Jack Myers, 103, a World War II tank destroyer gunner who fought in the Battle of the Bulge and whose battalion was among the first to reach the Dachau concentration camp; Col. Douglas Moore, a Vietnam “Dustoff” medevac pilot who flew 1,874 combat missions; Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Hendrickson, a Green Beret who returned to Afghanistan 18 months after being badly wounded in a 2010 blast; and Marine veteran Dale Garner, a survivor of the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing that killed 241 American service members.
Iran and the arch
Trump’s remarks on Iran echoed what he told reporters at his first post-election briefing on Monday, when he said the conflict could end soon. The Washington Post reported that he again compared the Iran operation with the U.S. wars in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told G7 partners in Paris this week that sanctions and the blockade make major combat against Iran unnecessary for now, The Washington Inquisitor reported.
The Senate has agreed to take up by Nov. 20 a House-passed war powers resolution, H. Con. Res. 93, that would direct the president to remove U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran, with six hours of debate before a vote, according to the Senate floor schedule.
Trump also said, “Soon we’re going to dedicate a magnificent triumphal arch to our veterans. … They’ve been waiting for it 200 years,” according to the pool report. The 250-foot arch planned for Memorial Circle, at the Virginia end of Memorial Bridge, has won approval from the National Capital Planning Commission, and a federal judge temporarily barred construction while lawsuits proceed. Nine Kennedy family members asked this week to join those suits. The president’s motorcade did not cross Memorial Bridge on Wednesday and instead entered the cemetery near the Marine Corps War Memorial, The Associated Press reported.
In Congress
On Capitol Hill, the Senate passed by voice vote on Wednesday the House-passed Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2026 (H.R. 8552) after Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) spoke on the floor about veterans’ benefits, according to the Senate’s daily floor log. The annual bill sets the cost-of-living increase for disability compensation and related benefits.
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