Former President Donald Trump thanked four D-Day veterans in a FaceTime call on Trump Force One, promising that they would be the first people he meets with in the White House if he wins back the presidency.
In the video posted on Truth Social, the president identified the veterans as Donald Cobb, 98, Steve Melnikoff, 104, George Cross, 99, and Harold Radish, 100. In the video, Trump said it was an “honor” to speak with them.
“A great honor to speak with four wonderful D-Day Heroes,” Trump captioned the video. “I LOVE YOU ALL, see you in the White House!”
One of the veterans thanked Trump for speaking with them, told him to stay healthy, and said he was fighting a “good fight.”
“I want to thank you all, and I’ll make you a deal — I’ll see you in the White House in January, OK? You’ll be my first group,” Trump said.
The former president had released a statement earlier in the day commemorating those who took part in the invasion of Normandy.
“Today, we honor the immortal heroes who landed at Normandy 80 years ago,” he said in a post on Truth Social. “The men of D-Day will live forever in history as among the bravest, noblest, and greatest Americans ever to walk the earth. They shed their blood, and thousands gave their lives, in defense of American Freedom. They are in our hearts today and for all time.”
Trump was the indirect subject of part of President Joe Biden’s speech at the D-Day 80th anniversary ceremony. As president, Trump attended the 75th anniversary commemoration.
George Cross served in the 82nd Airborne, landing in Normandy in the hours before the first D-Day landings. He took part in the famous battle of Sainte-Mere-Eglise, which became the first town liberated by the Allies. An Arizona business, Twister Sugar, helped gather funds to help send him to Normandy for the 80th anniversary celebrations.
Cobb served on the destroyer USS Murphy, taking part in battles in the Mediterranean before providing supporting fire for the D-Day landings at Omaha Beach. He told the BBC that he appreciated being able to visit Normandy again.
“People here are nice,” he said. “We enjoy coming back.”
Melnikoff stormed Omaha Beach, the most well-defended of the five D-Day beaches, where the lion’s share of casualties occurred. He was wounded during the battle of Saint-Lo on June 17. In an interview on the 80th anniversary of D-Day, he expressed sadness at the state of the country.
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“I see some things that I really don’t like,” Melnikoff told Fox News in an interview. “I see a resemblance to what happened in 1939, 1938. I was there. I’m not reading a book or something like that. I was there, and this feeling that we have — the people are so absorbed with themselves — they’re not the way we were. We volunteered, we were drafted — but we knew we had a mission we did.”
Radish was the only one present who didn’t participate in the landings themselves, coming ashore in the months after D-Day and fighting in battles across France and Germany. He was taken prisoner in February 1945, being liberated near the end of the war.
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