President Donald Trump gave a Memorial Day address Monday at Baltimore's Fort McHenry honoring recent and past fallen military members and likening their contributions to service members currently on the front lines battling the coronavirus.
"As our brave warriors have shown us from our nation's earliest days, in America, we are the captains of our own fate," said the president, joined by first lady Melania Trump on a day when most of the city remained at home to guard against the spread of COVID-19 and the national death toll from the virus neared 100,000.
Dozens of Trump supporters gathered outside Fort McHenry's blocked-off entrance Monday morning. Few wore masks.
Trump spoke of the virus as an "invisible enemy."
"We mourn alongside every single family that has lost a loved one," Trump said.
"Tens of thousands of service members and national guardsmen are on the front lines of our war against this terrible virus, caring for patients, delivering critical supplies and working night and day to save our citizens," he said.
Trump mostly stuck to his prepared text rather than improvise. The president has been encouraging states to reopen even as medical experts caution against moving too quickly in rolling back restrictions meant to slow the virus' spread.
Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. "Jack" Young, a Democrat, had
urged Trump to reconsider the visit, saying it set the wrong example as the city remains under a stay-at-home order because of the coronavirus. City Council President Brandon Scott, a Democrat who is running for mayor, also asked the president to stay home.
Trump drew a parallel between the Fort McHenry combat and service members risking their safety in the battle against COVID-19.
"As one nation, we mourn alongside every single family that has lost loved ones, including the families of our great veterans. Together we will vanquish the virus," the president said.
Trump spoke in a section of the fort surrounded by an embankment and a stone wall. The area was decorated with red, white and blue banners, and a giant American flag stood to the right of the podium. The secretaries of defense and interior and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were all on hand.
Among the guests at Fort McHenry was U.S. Rep. Andy Harris of Baltimore County, the only Republican in the state's congressional delegation. Harris has
loudly advocated for opening Maryland businesses.
"The president of the United States comes to Maryland. Why wouldn't I be here?" Harris said. "It's time to begin reopening under [Centers for Disease Control] guidelines. The bottom line is we're on federal property here. I mean, the mayor has his opinion, but in the end he should be reopening Baltimore as well."
Young, a Democrat, first asked the Republican Trump to reconsider his visit Thursday. The mayor
says the city continues to ban gatherings of more than 10 people, and that city resources were already stretched thin due to the pandemic and would be further strained by assisting with a presidential visit.
The White House didn't budge. "The brave men and women who have preserved our freedoms for generations did not stay home and the president will not either as he honors their sacrifice by visiting such a historic landmark in our nation's history," White House spokesman Judd Deere said.
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