Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s recent visit to France to commemorate the 82nd anniversary of the June 6, 1944, D-Day landings drew criticism from some quarters days before he even arrived in the country.
Langrune en Commun, a civic group based in the French coastal village of Langrune-sur-Mer, made headlines when it demanded that Mr. Hegseth not attend a major international ceremony it was hosting. The village is located on Sword Beach, one of the primary D-Day landing locations.
“This individual [Mr. Hegseth] carries values contrary to democracy, human rights and peace. This is evidenced by his numerous anti-European remarks … warlike statements … and U.S. supremacist views,” Langrune en Commun said June 2 in a statement. “The honor of Langrune, that of France, and the memory of the young Allies: Americans, British, Canadians — who died on our beaches in the name of democracy — demand that the visit of this individual be canceled.”
It wasn’t clear why Mr. Hegseth did not attend the ceremony at Langrune-sur-Mer. He did speak at a ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, where he honored the American soldiers who landed on the beaches and the allies who fought alongside them to defeat the Nazis.
“The men buried here fought in a war-fighting alliance, where every partner brought its full measure of industry, courage and sacrifice — not empty slogans, not lavish summits, not communiques — [but] real allies doing real things, taking real losses, for a shared cause worth fighting and dying for,” Mr. Hegseth said.
He appeared to suggest that the flow of migrants into European countries today also poses a threat to safety and stability.
“Sadly today, different European beaches are stormed by different dangerous ideologies. In Spain, in Italy, Greece and Bulgaria, boats and men arrive,” Mr. Hegseth said. “When will European capitals do something about that invasion, or is it too late? I pray not, and I believe not.”
Although President Trump’s MAGA base mostly cheered Mr. Hegseth’s remarks, Rep. Don Bacon, Nebraska Republican and retired Air Force brigadier general, said the focus of the secretary’s address should have been on the troops who fought on the beaches. The congressman said the Trump administration is overly critical of Western Europe.
“You never hear them criticize Russia, and that bothers us. Why are they so weak on Russia, which affects Ukraine’s foreign policy [and] their policy toward the Baltics,” Mr. Bacon said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” “It’s not good for our national security. We have to work together to counter Russia, to counter China and to help us in the Middle East.”
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