President Donald Trump's decision to not attend ceremonies in France during the weekend and at Arlington National Cemetery is "puzzling," because he puts so much emphasis on the military, former CIA Director John Brennan, a frequent critic of the president, said Tuesday.
"These were relatively easy to do the events both in France as well as here," Brennan told MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "I don't know whether or not he gets in moods and just sulks, and doesn't want to be part of these ceremonies, or it is the weather and wonders what it will do to his image, but it is one of the more puzzling aspects of Mr. Trump's performance."
Saturday, Trump canceled a planned visit to a cemetery for Americans killed in World War I, citing rainy weather that grounded his helicopter. He defended the decision Tuesday, saying that he had wanted to drive but the Secret Service had rejected the plan. He pointed out that he did give a speech the following day in the rain at a different event.
Brennan, though, accused Trump of missing the events because he "doesn't have a sense of history," and said he is "so absorbed in himself. If it's not directly relevant to him, I think it takes second and third place to it. To so many veterans around the country and around the world that leadership should be part of his legacy. "
There would have been a "backup plan and a backup to the backup plan" in the incident during the Paris trip, said Brennan, and the event would have been something "no president I have ever worked for would want to miss."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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