White House trade advisor Peter Navarro says Trump's new tariffs 'may not have to go into effect' depending on US-Mexico talks - CNBC

White House trade advisor Peter Navarro said that President Donald Trump's new tariffs on Mexico "may not have to go into effect," depending on the outcome of talks between U.S. and Mexican officials.

Navarro, a hard-line supporter of Trump's tariffs, said in a CNN interview there were "absolutely" concessions Mexico could make at the meetings, scheduled for later Wednesday at the White House, that would stop the tariffs on 5% of all Mexican imports from going into effect on Monday.

Trump is using the threat of tariffs to force Mexico to stem the flow of undocumented migrants crossing the U.S. border.

The White House advisor outlined three specific areas where Mexico could make changes to stop Trump from slapping tariffs on their goods:

• Mexico should crack down on asylum seekers, Navarro said.
• Mexico should strengthen its enforcement of its own southern border with Guatemala, he added.
• And Mexico should put an end to government corruption at immigration checkpoints in the country.

"That's it. That's what we're looking for," Navarro concluded.

Trump announced the tariffs Twitter last week, taking the markets and even politicians in his own party by surprise. The tariffs are currently poised to go into effect Monday, and are set to be gradually hiked up to 25% by October.

But Navarro said in the interview Wednesday morning that "we believe that these tariffs may not have to go into effect, precisely because we have the Mexicans' attention."

The "number one" issue on Navarro's list would be for Mexico to "commit to taking all the asylum seekers and then applying Mexican laws, which are much stronger than ours."

"Look, here's the thing," he said. "If the people who are moving up with scripts to claim asylum from their narco-trafficker, human-trafficker handlers simply understood that that script ain't gonna work anymore getting into America," then the stream of migrants coming up to the southern border to claim asylum "will go to a trickle."

Navarro's focus on "scripts" appeared to reference the alleged problem of migrants reciting language at the border claiming that they have a credible fear of persecution or harm and therefore are eligible for asylum. It's unclear how Mexico would address that problem; U.S. asylum officers, meanwhile, have been directed to challenge such claims, according to internal documents reported on in May by The Washington Post.

The second concession, he said, would be to get "a strong commitment from the Mexican government to put resources" on its own southern border with Guatemala. Navarro explained that the roughly 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico is "very hard to police," while the 150-mile Mexico-Guatemala border is not only much narrower and "better yet, it has natural and artificial choke points where it is really easy to police."

The last demand Navarro says the U.S. wants from Mexico is to put an end to corruption at checkpoints. "Those checkpoints are designed to stop the flood, but instead it's ... the corruption, the government officials who make money off this human trafficking," Navarro said.

"That has to stop."

Navarro said his three proposed concessions were already made "very, very clear" by a Trump administration official "the first day" that the tariffs were announced. But acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney had told reporters the day Trump announced the tariffs that "We did not set a specific percentage, did not set a specific number" for Mexico to reduce immigration levels. "It's a very fluid situation," Mulvaney said.

While Navarro's remarks Wednesday suggested that there was a distinct possibility of averting the tariffs, Trump himself has made the tariffs sound more like an inevitability.

At a press conference Tuesday in London alongside British Prime Minister Theresa May, Trump reaffirmed that the new policy "will take effect next week."

In a tweet Sunday, Trump appeared dismissive toward the possibility of making significant progress with Mexico during the talks with White House officials, including Vice President Mike Pence.

"Mexico is sending a big delegation to talk about the Border. Problem is, they've been "talking" for 25 years," Trump tweeted. "We want action, not talk."

Meanwhile, a growing number of Republican senators have signaled that they oppose Trump's tariffs. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., for example, said after a GOP lunch discussion about the White House policy that "there is not much support in my conference for tariffs, that's for sure."

Congress may try and schedule a vote to block the tariffs if Trump uses his emergency powers to impose them.

Trump told reporters Wednesday that "Mexico you know wants to make a deal," referring to the White House talks. 

"I think they want to do something, they want to make a deal," Trump said. "We'll see what happens."

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2019-06-05 16:14:17Z
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D-Day veteran, 99, gets ovation from the Queen and Trump as he leads tributes - Fox News

A 99-year-old D-Day veteran got a standing ovation from Donald Trump and the Queen Wednesday as he led the nation's tributes to brave troops who stormed the Normandy beaches 75 years ago.

John Jenkins gave a moving speech at the historic D-Day commemoration ceremony in Portsmouth.

As he walked on to the stage, the entire crowd - including the Queen, Prince Charles, Donald Trump and Theresa May - rose to honor him.

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D-Day veteran John Jenkins on stage during commemorations for the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day landings, in Portsmouth, England, Wednesday June 5, 2019. (PA via AP)

WORLD LEADERS INCLUDING PRESIDENT TRUMP GATHER TO COMMEMORATE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF D-DAY LANDINGS

Mr Jenkins was a 24-year-old platoon sergeant in the Pioneer Corps when he landed in Normandy on June 8, 1944.

He was deployed on Gold Beach, one of the five landing points on the French coast where Allied troops launched their operations.

Mr Jenkins, from Portsmouth, told the crowd: "I was terrified. I think everyone was - you don't show it, but it's there.

"I look back on it as a big part of my life, it changed me in a way - but I was just a small part in a very big machine.

"You never forget your comrades because we were all in there together."

WALTER BORNEMAN: REMEMBER THESE TWO YOUNG MEN WHO HELPED TO WIN D-DAY

D-Day veteran John Jenkins stands onstage during an event to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day in Portsmouth, England Wednesday, June 5, 2019.

The veteran concluded: "It's right that the courage and sacrifice of so many veterans is being honored 75 years on.

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"We must never forget - thank you."

This story originally appeared in The Sun. For more from The Sun, click here.

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2019-06-05 14:58:03Z
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Mexico's Top Diplomat to Meet With Pence in Effort to Avoid Trump Tariffs - The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence and other top administration officials will meet Wednesday with Mexico’s top diplomat as both sides try to avert the potentially crippling economic consequences of President Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on all Mexican imports.

Mr. Trump has vowed to impose a 5 percent tariff on all goods from Mexico beginning Monday and to increase the tax to 25 percent by October if Mexico does not prevent migrants from illegally entering the United States. Mr. Trump, speaking Tuesday in London, said that it was “more likely that the tariffs” would be imposed on Monday as he has threatened.

Mexican officials, along with Republican lawmakers, are trying to prevent that outcome. Marcelo Ebrard, the Mexican foreign minister, is scheduled to meet on Wednesday afternoon at the White House with Mr. Pence, a senior administration official said, in an effort to convince the president that Mexico is doing everything it can to help prevent illegal immigration across the United States border. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Robert Lighthizer, the United States Trade Representative, were also expected to attend the meeting.

Mr. Trump, frustrated by what he views as Mexico’s failure to stem the flow of migrants, said he would use broad emergency powers to impose punishing tariffs on the country. But top American officials have spoken in vague terms about what steps Mexico must take, and it remains unclear exactly what Mexico could do to persuade Mr. Trump to back down.

Peter Navarro, a top trade adviser who has advocated using levies to punish Mexico, said in an interview with CNN on Wednesday that Mr. Trump’s threat had gotten the Mexican government’s attention and that the United States might not have to impose the tariffs.

“We believe that these tariffs may not have to go into effect precisely because we have the Mexicans’ attention,” Mr. Navarro said

He outlined several things that Mexico must do to prevent the tariffs, including committing to taking “all the asylum seekers and applying Mexican laws which are much stronger than ours.”

He also urged Mexico to do more to secure its border with Guatemala and tighten check points for migrants within Mexico.

Mr. Ebrard has also expressed optimism, telling reporters on Tuesday in Washington that there was an 80 percent chance that Mr. Trump would not impose the tariffs.

But others in Washington were more doubtful that the two sides could come to a resolution before Monday’s deadline. Carlos Heredia, a professor at the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas in Mexico City, said Tuesday that whatever action Mexico takes to prevent migration into the United States, it was unlikely to satisfy the president.

“If there is any logic to the way that President Trump handles policy, it’s that he likes conflict,” Mr. Heredia said. “I don’t think that there is a way to please Trump.”

Others said that it would take time for Mexico to make the changes the Trump administration was requesting.

“This is not going to happen in seven days,” said Arturo Sarukhan, a former Mexican ambassador to the United States. “You can’t enforce your way out of a migration crisis.”

Mr. Trump’s threat to tax Mexican products has rattled financial markets and prompted an outcry from businesses that would be affected, including automakers, agricultural companies and retailers. The chairman of the Federal Reserve said on Tuesday that the central bank was watching Mr. Trump’s trade war warily and would act to prevent economic damage from the conflict.

Image

Marcelo Ebrard, the Mexican foreign minister, on Tuesday at the Capitol in Washington.CreditErin Schaff/The New York Times

Mr. Trump has made heavy use of tariffs on trading partners from China to Europe, but imposing tariffs on Mexico, the United States’ largest trading partner, would be a significant escalation in the president’s trade war. Mexico is a key supplier of products like fresh tomatoes and grapes; bluejeans; televisions; medical devices; and automobiles. Many companies have created supply chains that snake back and forth across the border — meaning some companies could be forced to pay Mr. Trump’s tariff multiple times as their products travel from farms to factories to consumers.

Businesses are also worried that the president’s move risks derailing what would be his signature trade achievement: passing the newly negotiated North American trade agreement.

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement was signed last year, but it still needs to be ratified by legislators in all three countries. Mexico submitted the text to its Senate hours before Mr. Trump’s threat. But Mexican officials are unlikely to move forward with that vote with the threat of tariffs hanging over them.

Mr. Ebrard, who has been in Washington all week meeting with Trump administration officials and members of Congress, said earlier in the week that Mexico was already enforcing its own immigration laws but argued that there was more the countries could do to work together. He said Mexican officials had come to Washington ready to “design actions together.”

Kevin McAleenan, the acting secretary of homeland security, repeated the administration’s demands in an interview with The Hill published on Tuesday. He said Mexico must crack down on illegal crossings from Guatemala, and use American intelligence to target smuggling operations that try to sneak migrants across the border.

Mr. McAleenan also said the administration expects Mexico to help tighten the shared border, even though the Mexican government has agreed to take in migrants while their asylum cases are processed in the United States.

“We can’t have the situation where 1,000 people in one group can cross the border at 4 a.m. without any interdiction or any effort to stop that unlawful activity,” said Mr. McAleenan, citing a group that illegally crossed last week into El Paso. The group of 1,036 migrants was the largest ever recorded by the Department of Homeland Security to cross illegally into the United States.

But Mexico has maintained that it is already taking action to stem the flow of migrants.

Mexico’s ambassador to the United States, Martha Bárcena, said in a press conference Monday that without Mexico’s efforts, many more migrants would be arriving at American borders.

“There is a clear limit to what we can negotiate,” Ms. Bárcena said. “And that limit is Mexican dignity.”

On Tuesday, Mr. Ebrard met for a half-hour with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and several other Democratic lawmakers.

Republican senators are also mobilizing to prevent the White House from moving ahead with tariffs, warning Mr. Trump on Tuesday that they were almost uniformly opposed to his plans to tax Mexican imports.

Several big states would be hit hard by the proposed tariffs on Mexican products, including Texas, Michigan, California, Illinois and Ohio, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

“We’re holding a gun to our own heads,” said Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas.

Officials at Customs and Border Protection were making preparations on Wednesday to begin imposing the tariffs just after midnight on Monday morning.

In an interview, a Customs spokesman said the department was waiting for Mr. Trump to issue a presidential proclamation, which would then by followed by a Federal Register notice, outlining the basis for the tariffs and the universe of Mexican products to which they would apply. But even without a formal order establishing the tariffs, Customers workers are already building up the informational technology infrastructure needed to apply the tariffs on Monday morning to importers bringing in goods from Mexico.

Officials said they were readying technical guidance for importers, to help them properly fill out paperwork and pay the appropriate tariff — and preparing to assist those importers who have grown accustomed to paying no tariffs under the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

They also said administration officials are still discussing whether there will be exemptions for certain industries from the tariffs, and whether there will be a formal process for American companies to apply for tariff exclusions for certain products they import, as was the case with steel and aluminum tariffs and some tariffs on products from China.

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2019-06-05 14:50:51Z
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Pennsylvania woman died days before Maryland couple at the same hotel in the Dominican Republic - CNN

Miranda Schaup-Werner, 41, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, had just checked in May 25 and enjoyed a drink from a minibar at the Bahia Principe Hotel in La Romana, family spokesman Jay McDonald told CNN affiliate WFMZ.

She and her husband, Dan Werner, were celebrating their ninth wedding anniversary when she suddenly collapsed in her hotel room, he said.

"At one point, she was sitting there happily smiling and taking pictures and the next moment she was in acute pain and called out for Dan and she collapsed," McDonald said.

"He was understandably in shock, but the whole thing was just so stunning."

Paramedics were called, and first aid was provided, but Schaup-Werner died in the room, Dominican Republic National Police Col. Frank Felix Durán Mejia told CNN.

A cause of death has not been determined, and a toxicology report is pending, but no violence was involved, Durán Mejia said.

Prosecutors are investigating the circumstances of her death, the Dominican attorney general's office said Wednesday.

Couple die nearly a week later

Five days later, on May 30, Maryland couple Edward Nathaniel Holmes, 63, and Cynthia Ann Day, 49, missed their scheduled checkout time at the same resort. Hotel employees later found them dead, police said.

When Schaup-Werner's family heard about the couple's deaths, they notified the US State Department of the similarities and requested an investigation, according to McDonald. He said Schaup-Werner was healthy before her death.

"What we thought was a freak event now we don't know," he said.

CNN has reached out to the resort for more information.

3 Americans in 5 days

The two families are searching for answers after the loss of their loved ones in the same resort five days apart.

In a statement to CNN, the State Department confirmed last month's deaths of the three US citizens.

"We offer our sincerest condolences to the families for their loss," it said.

After Day and Holmes died, the Dominican Republic National Police said an autopsy concluded the couple had respiratory failure and pulmonary edema, an abnormal buildup of fluid in the lungs.

Medications meant to treat high blood pressure were found in the room, police said. There were no signs of violence in the room.

All 3 checked in on same day

Holmes and Day were engaged, and were from Prince George's County, Maryland, relatives told CNN affiliate WBAL. They were supposed to fly back home the day they were found.

Days before their deaths, Holmes posted Facebook photos of him and Day enjoying their time in open waters.

"Boat ride of a lifetime!!!" one caption said.

The three Americans all checked into the hotel May 25 -- the same day Schaup-Werner died, the affiliate reported. The couple were checking out five days later when they were found.

The bodies of all three Americans were transported to forensic science institutes in the Dominican Republic for examinations, officials said.

"We are deeply saddened by the incident at one of our hotels in La Romana, Dominican Republic, and want to express our deepest condolences to their family and friends," Bahia Principe Hotels said in a statement after the couple's death.

La Romana is on the Caribbean coast and has a population of about 130,000.

CNN's Rebekah Riess, Andrea Diaz and Rosa Flores contributed to this report.

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2019-06-05 14:40:48Z
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Trump reads FDR's D-Day prayer as Queen Elizabeth II, world leaders remember World War II Normandy landing - USA TODAY

Kim Hjelmgaard USA TODAY

Published 10:08 AM EDT Jun 5, 2019

PORTSMOUTH, England – On the final leg of his three-day state visit to Britain, President Donald Trump joined Queen Elizabeth II and leaders from around the world in paying respects to Allied service members who 75 years ago took part in the D-Day landings that helped liberate Europe from Nazi Germany's military occupation. 

The Normandy landings on June 6, 1944, were the largest land, air and sea invasion in history and Portsmouth Naval Base, near where the commemorations took place Wednesday, served as a key launch pad for those forces.

In an address, the queen said that "75 years ago, hundreds of thousands of young soldiers, sailors and airmen left these shores in the cause of freedom. In a broadcast to the nation at that time, my father, King George VI, said: 'What is demanded from us all is something more than courage and endurance; we need a revival of spirit, a new unconquerable resolve.' That is exactly what those brave men brought to the battle, as the fate of the world depended on their success."

Earlier, in a special message to mark the occasion, the queen said: "At this time of reflection for veterans of the conflict and their families, I am sure that these commemorations will provide an opportunity to honor those who made extraordinary sacrifices to secure freedom in Europe. They must never be forgotten." 

In addition to Trump, the queen and Prime Minister Theresa May hosted 14 other leaders in Portsmouth, including France's Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Angela Merkel and Canada's Justin Trudeau. Prince Charles attended with representatives from every country that participated in the storming of the beaches along France's northwestern coast in a surprise attack involving 5,000 ships, 11,000 airplanes and 150,000 soldiers. More than 4,000 Allied service members – more than half of them American – died in the assault credited with changing the course of the war.

The event featured a number of British and American veterans of the invasion. Their chests bore ribbons and medals and a few of them clutched canes. The story of the build-up to the battle was told through live music, performances and readings. 

"We must never forget," said D-Day veteran John Jenkins, 99, addressing a crowd of more than a thousand seated in folding chairs before an amphitheater-type stage. About 300 World War II veterans attended the ceremony on England's south coast. 

Trump read a prayer that President Franklin Roosevelt delivered in a radio address on June 6, 1944, as U.S. and allied forces were crossing the English Channel to land on the beaches of Normandy, France. "Almighty God, our sons, pride of our nation, this day, have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our republic, our religion and our civilization and to set free a suffering humanity," Trump read. 

World War II D-Day: 5 to know on the 75th anniversary of Normandy landings

Several hours before the event, Trump launched into a Wednesday morning tweet storm, criticizing the "Corrupt Media," praising his "warm" treatment by Britain's royal family and offering condolences to Israel President Reuven Rivlin on the death of his wife Nechama  Rivlin. He also unleashed attacks on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, former Vice President Joe Biden and even actress and singer Bette Midler. 

In a news conference on Tuesday with May, Trump said he was grateful for the warm welcome he has received from the royal family and the prime minister during his visit to Britain. "The bonds of friendship forged here and sealed in blood on those hallowed beaches will endure forever," Trump said at the news conference.

He said the D-Day landings "may have been the greatest battle ever in history."

Colin King, 73, who served in the British Navy and was manning a pop-up booth in Portsmouth for the Royal Navy Association, a support group for ex-service members, said Trump "had done quite well" on his trip to Britain and as far as he was concerned the "special relationship" between the U.S. and Britain had "never been better." 

"I haven't seen too many people complaining about his tweets," he said. 

Before and after: Photos reveal dramatic changes since D-Day

Ahead of the commemorations, the countries taking part issued a joint statement pledging to make sure the "unimaginable horror" of World War II did not happen again.

Later Wednesday, Trump will make his first visit as president to Ireland, where he will hold meetings with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at Shannon Airport, before spending the night at the Trump golf club in Doonbeg. He will then travel to France for further D-Day commemorations focused on honoring Americans killed in the fighting. 

75th D-Day anniversary: The Pieper twins are finally together in Normandy

Prior to the ceremonies Trump also took part in a broadcast interview with "Good Morning Britain," telling host Piers Morgan that he meant no harm when he used the term "nasty" in discussing the American-born Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle. The phrase generated a lot of media coverage and Trump sought to clarify that he was speaking specifically on her comments about him, not about her.

"She was nasty to me. And that’s okay for her to be nasty, it’s not good for me to be nasty to her and I wasn’t," Trump said in the interview, which he also used to play down an earlier comment that any trade deal between the U.S. and Britain after the latter leaves the European Union could involve Britain's National Health Service, a prospect that has alarmed many Britons and politicians.  

In the interview, Trump was also asked about avoiding serving in the Vietnam War. 

"Well I was never a fan of that war I’ll be honest with you," he said. "I thought it was a terrible war, I thought it was very far away, nobody ever… you know you’re talking about Vietnam and at that time, nobody had ever heard of the country."

Back in Portsmouth, Laurence Wood, 76, who fought for the British army in Borneo in a conflict against Indonesia in the 1960s, was sitting down on a patch of grass taking it all in. Wood said his mother was a "British GI bride" – in other words, his father was an American soldier stationed in Britain during World War II, part of what historians sometimes refer to as the "friendly invasion" of Britain during the Nazi era. 

After the war, Wood lived with his parents in New York City, but they separated, he moved back to Britain with his mother, and last saw his dad when he was four-years-old. He has lost all touch with his American side of the family, he said. 

He also said Trump's visit had caused him to change his mind about the president.  

"Until he came here, I never liked him," he said. "But he's behaved himself in front of our queen and the royal family and I have appreciated that."

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2019-06-05 13:49:06Z
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'Extraordinary sacrifices': Trump joins Queen Elizabeth II for D-Day anniversary in Portsmouth - USA TODAY

Kim Hjelmgaard USA TODAY

Published 9:49 AM EDT Jun 5, 2019

PORTSMOUTH, England – On the final leg of his three-day state visit to Britain, President Donald Trump joined Queen Elizabeth II and leaders from around the world in paying respects to Allied service members who 75 years ago took part in the D-Day landings that helped liberate Europe from Nazi Germany's military occupation. 

The Normandy landings on June 6, 1944, were the largest land, air and sea invasion in history and Portsmouth Naval Base, near where the commemorations took place Wednesday, served as a key launch pad for those forces.

In an address, the queen said that "75 years ago, hundreds of thousands of young soldiers, sailors and airmen left these shores in the cause of freedom. In a broadcast to the nation at that time, my father, King George VI, said: 'What is demanded from us all is something more than courage and endurance; we need a revival of spirit, a new unconquerable resolve.' That is exactly what those brave men brought to the battle, as the fate of the world depended on their success."

Earlier, in a special message to mark the occasion, the queen said: "At this time of reflection for veterans of the conflict and their families, I am sure that these commemorations will provide an opportunity to honor those who made extraordinary sacrifices to secure freedom in Europe. They must never be forgotten." 

In addition to Trump, the queen and Prime Minister Theresa May hosted 14 other leaders in Portsmouth, including France's Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Angela Merkel and Canada's Justin Trudeau. Prince Charles attended with representatives from every country that participated in the storming of the beaches along France's northwestern coast in a surprise attack involving 5,000 ships, 11,000 airplanes and 150,000 soldiers. More than 4,000 Allied service members – more than half of them American – died in the assault credited with changing the course of the war.

The event featured a number of British and American veterans of the invasion. Their chests bore ribbons and medals and a few of them clutched canes. The story of the build-up to the battle was told through live music, performances and readings. 

"We must never forget," said D-Day veteran John Jenkins, 99, addressing a crowd of more than a thousand seated in folding chairs before an amphitheater-type stage. About 300 World War II veterans attended the ceremony on England's south coast. 

Trump read a prayer that President Franklin Roosevelt delivered in a radio address on June 6, 1944, as U.S. and allied forces were crossing the English Channel to land on the beaches of Normandy, France. "Almighty God, our sons, pride of our nation, this day, have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our republic, our religion and our civilization and to set free a suffering humanity," Trump read. 

World War II D-Day: 5 to know on the 75th anniversary of Normandy landings

Several hours before the event, Trump launched into a Wednesday morning tweet storm, criticizing the "Corrupt Media," praising his "warm" treatment by Britain's royal family and offering condolences to Israel President Reuven Rivlin on the death of his wife Nechama  Rivlin. He also unleashed attacks on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, former Vice President Joe Biden and even actress and singer Bette Midler. 

In a news conference on Tuesday with May, Trump said he was grateful for the warm welcome he has received from the royal family and the prime minister during his visit to Britain. "The bonds of friendship forged here and sealed in blood on those hallowed beaches will endure forever," Trump said at the news conference.

He said the D-Day landings "may have been the greatest battle ever in history."

Colin King, 73, who served in the British Navy and was manning a pop-up booth in Portsmouth for the Royal Navy Association, a support group for ex-service members, said Trump "had done quite well" on his trip to Britain and as far as he was concerned the "special relationship" between the U.S. and Britain had "never been better." 

"I haven't seen too many people complaining about his tweets," he said. 

Before and after: Photos reveal dramatic changes since D-Day

Ahead of the commemorations, the countries taking part issued a joint statement pledging to make sure the "unimaginable horror" of World War II did not happen again.

Later Wednesday, Trump will make his first visit as president to Ireland, where he will hold meetings with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at Shannon Airport, before spending the night at the Trump golf club in Doonbeg. He will then travel to France for further D-Day commemorations focused on honoring Americans killed in the fighting. 

75th D-Day anniversary: The Pieper twins are finally together in Normandy

Prior to the ceremonies Trump also took part in a broadcast interview with "Good Morning Britain," telling host Piers Morgan that he meant no harm when he used the term "nasty" in discussing the American-born Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle. The phrase generated a lot of media coverage and Trump sought to clarify that he was speaking specifically on her comments about him, not about her.

"She was nasty to me. And that’s okay for her to be nasty, it’s not good for me to be nasty to her and I wasn’t," Trump said in the interview, which he also used to play down an earlier comment that any trade deal between the U.S. and Britain after the latter leaves the European Union could involve Britain's National Health Service, a prospect that has alarmed many Britons and politicians.  

In the interview, Trump was also asked about avoiding serving in the Vietnam War. 

"Well I was never a fan of that war I’ll be honest with you," he said. "I thought it was a terrible war, I thought it was very far away, nobody ever… you know you’re talking about Vietnam and at that time, nobody had ever heard of the country."

Back in Portsmouth, Laurence Wood, 76, who fought for the British army in Borneo in a conflict against Indonesia in the 1960s, was sitting down on a patch of grass taking it all in. Wood said his mother was a "British GI bride" – in other words, his father was an American soldier stationed in Britain during World War II, part of what historians sometimes refer to as the "friendly invasion" of Britain during the Nazi era. 

After the war, Wood lived with his parents in New York City, but they separated, he moved back to Britain with his mother, and last saw his dad when he was four-years-old. He has lost all touch with his American side of the family, he said. 

He also said Trump's visit had caused him to change his mind about the president.  

"Until he came here, I never liked him," he said. "But he's behaved himself in front of our queen and the royal family and I have appreciated that."

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2019-06-05 13:13:21Z
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'Extraordinary sacrifices': Trump joins Queen Elizabeth II for D-Day anniversary in Portsmouth - USA TODAY

Kim Hjelmgaard USA TODAY

Published 9:13 AM EDT Jun 5, 2019

PORTSMOUTH, England – On the final leg of his three-day state visit to Britain, President Donald Trump joined Queen Elizabeth II and leaders from around the world in paying respects to Allied service members who 75 years ago took part in the D-Day landings that helped liberate Europe from Nazi Germany's military occupation. 

The Normandy landings on June 6, 1944, were the largest land, air and sea invasion in history and Portsmouth Naval Base, near where the commemorations took place Wednesday, served as a key launch pad for those forces.

In an address, the queen said that "75 years ago, hundreds of thousands of young soldiers, sailors and airmen left these shores in the cause of freedom. In a broadcast to the nation at that time, my father, King George VI, said: 'What is demanded from us all is something more than courage and endurance; we need a revival of spirit, a new unconquerable resolve.' That is exactly what those brave men brought to the battle, as the fate of the world depended on their success."

Earlier, in a special message to mark the occasion, the queen said: "At this time of reflection for veterans of the conflict and their families, I am sure that these commemorations will provide an opportunity to honor those who made extraordinary sacrifices to secure freedom in Europe. They must never be forgotten." 

In addition to Trump, the queen and Prime Minister Theresa May hosted 14 other leaders in Portsmouth, including France's Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Angela Merkel and Canada's Justin Trudeau. Prince Charles attended with representatives from every country that participated in the storming of the beaches along France's northwestern coast in a surprise attack involving 5,000 ships, 11,000 airplanes and 150,000 soldiers. More than 4,000 Allied service members – more than half of them American – died in the assault credited with changing the course of the war.

The event featured a number of British and American veterans of the invasion. Their chests bore ribbons and medals and a few of them clutched canes. The story of the build-up to the battle was told through live music, performances and readings. 

"We must never forget," said D-Day veteran John Jenkins, 99, addressing a crowd of more than a thousand seated in folding chairs before an amphitheater-type stage. About 300 World War II veterans attended the ceremony on England's south coast. 

Trump read a prayer that President Franklin Roosevelt delivered in a radio address on June 6, 1944, as U.S. and allied forces were crossing the English Channel to land on the beaches of Normandy, France. "Almighty God, our sons, pride of our nation, this day, have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our republic, our religion and our civilization and to set free a suffering humanity," Trump read. 

World War II D-Day: 5 to know on the 75th anniversary of Normandy landings

Several hours before the event, Trump launched into a Wednesday morning tweet storm, criticizing the "Corrupt Media," praising his "warm" treatment by Britain's royal family and offering condolences to Israel's president on the death of his wife. He also unleashed attacks on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, former Vice President Joe Biden and even actress and singer Bette Midler. 

In a news conference on Tuesday with May, Trump said he was grateful for the warm welcome he has received from the royal family and the prime minister during his visit to Britain. "The bonds of friendship forged here and sealed in blood on those hallowed beaches will endure forever," Trump said at the news conference.

He said the D-Day landings "may have been the greatest battle ever in history."

Colin King, 73, who served in the British Navy and was manning a pop-up booth in Portsmouth for the Royal Navy Association, a support group for ex-service members, said Trump "had done quite well" on his trip to Britain and as far as he was concerned the "special relationship" between the U.S. and Britain had "never been better." 

"I haven't seen too many people complaining about his tweets," he said. 

Before and after: Photos reveal dramatic changes since D-Day

Ahead of the commemorations, the countries taking part issued a joint statement pledging to make sure the "unimaginable horror" of World War II did not happen again.

Later Wednesday, Trump will make his first visit as president to Ireland, where he will hold meetings with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at Shannon Airport, before spending the night at the Trump golf club in Doonbeg. He will then travel to France for further D-Day commemorations focused on honoring Americans killed in the fighting. 

75th D-Day anniversary: The Pieper twins are finally together in Normandy

Prior to the ceremonies Trump also took part in a broadcast interview with "Good Morning Britain," telling host Piers Morgan that he meant no harm when he used the term "nasty" in discussing the American-born Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle. The phrase generated a lot of media coverage and Trump sought to clarify that he was speaking specifically on her comments about him, not about her.

"She was nasty to me. And that’s okay for her to be nasty, it’s not good for me to be nasty to her and I wasn’t," Trump said in the interview, which he also used to play down an earlier comment that any trade deal between the U.S. and Britain after the latter leaves the European Union could involve Britain's National Health Service, a prospect that has alarmed many Britons and politicians.  

Back in Portsmouth, Laurence Wood, 76, who fought for the British army in Borneo in a conflict against Indonesia in the 1960s, was sitting down on a patch of grass taking it all in. Wood said that his mother was a "British GI bride" – in other words, his father was an American soldier stationed in Britain during World War II, part of what historians sometimes refer to as the "friendly invasion" of Britain during the Nazi era. 

After the war, Wood lived with his parents in New York City, but they separated, he moved back to Britain with his mother, and last saw his dad when he was four-years-old. He has lost all touch with his American side of the family, he said. 

He also said Trump's visit had caused him to change his mind about the president.  

"Until he came here, I never liked him," he said. "One of things I had against him was that he escaped the draft (Trump avoided fighting in Vietnam). But he's behaved himself in front of our queen and the royal family and I have appreciated that."

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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/06/05/donald-trump-queen-elizabeth-75th-anniversary-d-day-invasion/1349585001/

2019-06-05 12:49:10Z
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