Our live coverage has ended. Read more about the Normandy landings hereand see how President Trump, Queen Elizabeth and other world leaders marked the anniversary here.
Air Force One is wheels down in Shannon, Ireland, for the second time in 24 hours.
President Trump is expected to remain in Ireland until Friday afternoon, when he returns to the United States, ending his European trip.
There are no other official items on Trump’s schedule today.
Today marks the 254th day Trump has spent at one of his properties and the 193rd day at one of his golf clubs.
President Trump is departing France after participating in a D-Day commemoration ceremony in Normandy.
Before he left, Trump met with French first responders at the airport.
Trump is en route Ireland, where he will spend another night at his golf course.
He has no remaining public events while in Europe. He’ll return to Washington on Friday.
President Trump remarked upon the “interesting situation taking place” in the United Kingdom the day before Prime Minister Theresa May steps aside.
He predicted “it’ll all work out,” adding that whoever replaces May will be a “very big thing” as the nation grapples with how to proceed with Brexit.
“So I think before you can think in terms of Brexit for the next few weeks, you’re going to have to find out what happens, who’s going to be the new leader and that’s a very interesting situation taking place,” he said, speaking to reporters during a bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Caen, France.
Trump said it was “interesting” to talk to Queen Elizabeth II about the current political situation in the UK, touting his relationship and time spent with Her Majesty during this week’s State Visit and calling her an “incredible lady.”
Here’s how he put it:
“I found it to be a very, sort of, an amazing period of time, especially having spent so much time with the Queen, who I think is an incredible lady. But I spent so much time and you know, there’s a lot of question marks as to who’s going to be leading and so it was very interesting talking to her, being with her for so many hours actually.”
He continued: “I feel I know her so well and she certainly knows me very well right now, but we have a very good relationship also with the United Kingdom, but it’ll all work out.”
President Trump said he does not have differences with French President Emmanuel Macron over Iran, adding both leaders have the same objective: To stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
But note: Trump did not address their differences in achieving that objective. Macron is a staunch supporter of the Iran deal — which Trump pulled out of last year.
“Let’s see what’s happening with Iran,” Trump said, calling the nation’s leaders “undisputed champions of terror.”
“They’re doing very poorly… they’re failing as a nation and I don’t want them to fail as a nation. We can turn that around very quickly,” he said.
If Iran wants to talk, Trump said, “we’ll talk.”
Macron jumped in to say he thinks “we do share he same objective.”
“We had an instrument until 2025,” Macron said, referring to the nuclear deal, but “we want to go further.”
The Normandy landings involved tens of thousands of troops landing on several beachheads across northern France. Take a look at some of the key features of the operation below.
Prince Harry and William have also been marking D-Day, taking part in separate events in the UK.
Harry, the Duke of Sussex, met Chelsea pensioners at the annual Founder’s Day Parade in west London. He joked with the elderly servicemen before delivering a speech.
“On this 75th anniversary of D-Day, I can comfortably speak for everyone when I say we are honored to be in the presence of six Normandy landing veterans,” Harry said. “To all who are on parade today, I can only say that you are a constant reminder of the great debt we owe those who have served this nation.”
Harry’s wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, is on maternity leave after the birth of her first child and was not present at the event.
Prince William, meanwhile, laid a wreath at the Normandy Campaign Memorial in Staffordshire, central England.
He wrote a personal message which he attached to the poppy wreath: “In memory of all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. We will remember them. William.”
Politics remained largely absent from remarks given by President Trump and Emmanuel Macron by the shores of Omaha Beach.
But while remembrance and recognition dominated proceedings, it wasn’t hard to notice a few pointed messages from one leader to another.
The French President urged international support for an “alliance of the free world,” before praising the United Nations, the European Union and NATO; three transnational bodies that were set up in the wake of war with the mission of preserving peace.
The only problem? President Trump, sat a few feet from Macron as he spoke, has been critical of all three bodies.
Trump has questioned if NATO is still a relevant alliance and has publicly chastised allies over defense spending. He has praised Brexit, and urged Britain to take a harder line in negotiations with the EU. And his worldview, laid bare in speeches to the United Nations General Assembly, has left several member states worried.
“We must never stop working for the alliance of the free world,” Macron said, citing those three bodies as examples. “We must prove ourselves worthy of this heritage of peace that we have been bequeathed.”
That task, Macron added, means “never forgetting that free peoples can overcome all the challenges when they unite.”
The French leader then turned to his American counterpart, telling him that France is “ready to work for this friendship between our nations which has brought so much to the history of mankind.”
Trump’s speech was among the most traditional and presidential moments of his administration, CNN’s chief political correspondent Dana Bash has said.
“For Donald Trump, so often in the Rose Garden, in big presidential moments, we see him as Donald Trump,” said Bash. “But this was different … he moved people, and he did so by understanding exactly what he was supposed to do.”
CNN’s chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, also praised Trump for weaving together a number of troops’ personal stories throughout the speech.
“Instead of trying to use those stories to advance a particular policy, this was advancing a message about bravery, courage and freedom, and I think it was just an extraordinary moment,” Acosta said.
Acosta noted that Trump and President Macron will be having a bilateral meeting later on Thursday. “We may find out that they had some disagreements that they discussed away from the cemetery here … but this was a moment that really rose to the occasion.
“It was an occasion that could have been spoiled by politics and differences between these two leaders, and that just didn’t happen,” Acosta added.
The American and French presidents, along with their wives, have now taken a position overlooking Omaha Beach to watch a flyover of American military aircraft.
It included an assortment of US cargo planes, including the C-47 and C-130, as well as four F-15 Eagle fighters.
French jets then flew by, displaying the French Tricolore.
At Omaha Beach, Presidents Trump and Macron are now greeting the veterans present, after both delivered moving speeches on the legacy of D-Day.
Over at a British memorial event in the Bayeux War Cemetery, Prime Minister Theresa May has delivered a reading from the Book of Micah underneath a dramatic RAF flypast.
“Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore,” read May, pausing for a moment to allow two fighters to fly overhead.
A stirring rendition of the hymn “Abide With Me” was then performed, before British D-Day veteran Ray Lord rose to speak.
President Trump described how the legacy of US troops continued beyond the war. “They came here and saved freedom, and then they went home and showed us all what freedom is all about,” he said.
He described the troops as “no less extraordinary in peace … they built families, they built industries, they built a national culture.”
“In the decades that followed, America defeated communism, secured civil rights … and then kept on pushing to new frontiers,” Trump added.
“And today, America is stronger than ever before,” he says. In defeating Hitler, troops “left a legacy that will live not only for a thousand years, but for all time.”
Trump then concluded his speech by thanking again the Allied nations, as well as the US troops. He returned to his seat to a warm round of applause, greeting President Macron and his wife Brigitte.
Both leaders then joined in a moment of silence.
US President Donald Trump singled out another veteran, Private Pickett, describing his ordeal on the beaches at Normandy.
“And today, believe it or not, he has returned to these shores to be with his comrades. Private Pickett, you honor us all with you presence,” Trump said.
Private Pickett then rose to a huge round of applause, before Trump walked over to hug him. “Tough guy,” Trump said, after returning to the podium.
“Today, America embraces the French people, and thanks you for honoring our beloved dead,” Trump went on. “To all of our friends and partners, our cherished alliance was forged in the heat of battle, tested in the trials of war, and proven in the blessings of peace. Our bond is unbreakable.”
He turned back to US troops who took part in the Normandy landings. “They were fathers who would never meet their infant sons and daughters, because they had a job to do – and with God as their witness, they were going to get it done.”
“We are gathered here on freedom’s altar,” said President Trump, as he began his remarks.
“Today we remember those who fell and we honor all who fought right here in Normandy. They won back this ground for civilization … You are among the very greatest Americans who will ever live. You are the pride of our nation.”
“We thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” Trump added, before mentioning fighters from the Allied nations.
Trump praised “the British, whose nobility and fortitude saw them through the worst of Dunkirk and the Nazi Blitz,” adding that Axis forces were no match for the strength of British pride.
The President then thanked the Canadians, as well as “the fighting Poles, the tough Norwegians, and the intrepid Aussies.”
“And finally, there were the Americans.” He praised an individual veteran named Ray, pausing his speech to walk over and greet him.
French President Emmanuel Macron turned to President Trump to thank the United States for its role in liberating France.
“America is never so great as when she fights for the freedoms of others,” Macron said.
Macron also mentioned the roles of Allied nations including Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland and the UK.
He then mentioned the postwar international organizations that were created to maintain world peace, including NATO and the European Union. Macron stressed the importance of that mission, and urged for the ethos of those projects not to be lost.
Trump has been critical of NATO throughout his administration, while Brexit is threatening the stability of the EU. “This promise of Normandy, we have to find it,” Macron said.
“Long live the United States of America, long live the Republic, long live France, and long live the friendship between our two nations.
Presidents Trump and Macron rose to deliver a round of applause to the veterans seated behind them at the service.
Emmanuel Macron then rose to deliver his speech. He said the troops who carried out the Normandy landings were faced, above all, with “the anxiety of the unknown.”
“The happy days of their youth seemed far away,” he added. “What strikes still, 75 years later, is the unheard-of courage … that strength of the soul” that the troops showed, he said. “France does not forget.”
Macron thanked soldiers of all the countries that took part in the Normandy landings. He listed each Allied nation involved, and praised them for liberating France from Nazi occupation. “I bow down to you today,” he said.
Macron then switched to English for a part of his speech. “On behalf of my nation, I just want to say ‘thank you,’” he said, receiving huge applause from the thousands present.
US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron have welcomed each other at the commemorative event near Omaha Beach.
The pair greeted veterans as they walked along the rows of guests. The service began around 20 minutes late.
Both leaders will make remarks at the event.
According to excerpts of his speech that have already been released, Trump will say: “On these shores, on these bluffs, on this day 75 years ago, 10,000 men shed their blood and thousands sacrificed their lives for their brothers, for their countries, and for the survival of liberty.”
The service was opened by a rendition of the US national anthem.
The beach at Arromanches-les-Bains, codenamed Gold Beach during Operation Overlord, is being taken back in time as a number of period military craft cover the shoreline.
US tanks known as the “Duck” have been lined up alongside contemporary vehicles, and a number of re-enactors in military dress are walking along the shore.
Nearby, at Omaha Beach, a service for American troops is taking place at the US military cemetery in Normandy. The service is running late while guests wait for President Trump to arrive.
See some stunning pictures from Gold Beach and Omaha Beach below:
At the morning service in Bayeux Cathedral, a message from Pope Francis was read out by Cardinal Marc Ouellet.
The Pope said the Normandy landings were “decisive in the fight against Nazi barbarism,” and paid tribute to those who “joined the Army and gave their lives for freedom and peace.”
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall are also in Normandy on Thursday, attending a service inside Bayeux Cathedral paying tribute to those who took part in Operation Overlord.
Veterans, their families, and current military personnel are also present at the service. Prime Minister Theresa May and leader of the UK’s opposition party, Jeremy Corbyn, are both sat in the front row.
“The Last Post,” a trumpet call played in British military funerals, was performed as part of the service and attendees have also held a moment of silence. The British national anthem, “God Save The Queen,” was played towards the end of the service.
Air Force One has just touched down in Normandy, where Trump will join world leaders for a day of commemorative events.
The President had spent Wednesday evening in Ireland at a golf course he owns in Doonbeg, after wrapping up his three-day state visit to the UK.
This is the second event he is attending as part of the 75th anniversary of D-Day. On Wednesday, he joined world leaders from several countries at an event in Portsmouth, southern England.
Meanwhile, UK PM Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron are attending a commemorative service at the nearby Bayeux Cathedral.
After unveiling a memorial to British soldiers who landed in Normandy on D-Day, French President Emmanuel Macron seemed to share a farewell message for British Prime Minister Theresa May.
May is set to step down as leader of Britain’s ruling party on Friday.
“Leaders may come and go but their work endures,” Macron said in his speech during D-Day ceremonies on Thursday.
The French President also touched on the ongoing Brexit discussions, saying “the debates taking place today cannot affect the strength of our joint history and our shared future. The force of our friendship will outlast current events.”
“It is time to remedy the fact that no memorial pays tribute to the United Kingdom’s contribution to the Battle of Normandy,” Macron said, thanking Britain for its role in liberating France from Nazi control. “This is where young men, many of whom had never set foot on French soil, landed at dawn under German fire, risking their lives while fighting their way up the beach, which was littered with obstacles and mines.”
UK Prime Minister Theresa May has given a moving tribute to the troops involved in the Normandy landings, saying at the Normandy ceremony that they “determined the fate of generations to come.”
“It’s incredibly moving to be here today, looking out over the beaches where one of the greatest battles for freedom this world has ever known took place,” May said. “And it is truly humbling to do so with the men who were there that day … It’s an honor for all of us to share this moment with you.”
She added: “Standing here as the waves wash quietly onto the shore below us, it is almost impossible to grasp the raw courage it must have taken that day to leap from the landing craft and into the surf despite the fury of battle.”
May also paid tribute to those who died during the operation. “They laid down their lives so that we might have a better life and build a better world,” she said.
US President Donald Trump is traveling to the Normandy beaches to mark three-quarters of a century since Americans and their allies stormed the shore in a bid to wrest Europe from the Nazis.
“We are gathered here on freedom’s altar,” Trump will say in his remarks, according to excerpts of the speech provided by the White House. “On these shores, on these bluffs, on this day 75 years ago, 10,000 men shed their blood – and thousands sacrificed their lives – for their brothers, for their countries, and for the survival of liberty.”
Trump is the latest in a string of presidents to mark the anniversary of D-Day in France, each successive ceremony seeing fewer and fewer of the veterans who carried out the harrowing mission make it back to the windswept cliffs and stretches of sand. Now in their 90s, and of a thinning generation with first-hand memory of the war, those veterans will join Trump and other world leaders to mark the occasion near the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer.
Trump is expected to deliver remarks and meet with some of the few remaining survivors from that day – many of whom were teenagers when they received their orders. Later he’ll sit for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron before departing for his golf course in Ireland, where he is spending two nights.
British Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron are paying respects at a ceremony in Normandy, where 75 years ago today, tens of thousands of Allied troops landed along several beachheads and began the operation that turned the tide of World War II.
This morning at 7:26 a.m. local time, a lone piper began the day of events by playing the Scottish folk song “Highland Laddie” at the exact moment the first troops landed on the beaches.
In what appears to be a preview of his speech at the American Cemetery in Normandy later this morning, President Trump just tweeted a picture of GIs landing on the beaches 75 years ago, with the caption, “They did not know if they would survive the hour. They did not know if they would grow old. But they knew that America had to prevail. There cause was this Nation, and generations yet unborn.”
Right after sending that inspirational message, Trump tweeted an attack on the media quoting Fox News host Sean Hannity, saying in part, “The President has received glowing reviews from the British Media. Here at home, not so much.”
Trump spent the night in Ireland at his golf course Doonbeg, and left Shannon for Normandy this morning.
D-Day – the military term for the first day of the Normandy landings – was the largest amphibious invasion ever undertaken and laid the foundations for the Allied defeat of Germany in World War II.
The invasion took place on June 6, 1944, and saw tens of thousands of troops from the United States, the UK, France and Canada landing on five stretches of the Normandy coastline – codenamed Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword beaches.
Planning for D-Day began more than a year in advance, and the Allies carried out substantial military deception – codenamed Operation Bodyguard – to confuse the Germans as to when and where the invasion would take place.
By midnight on June 6, the troops had secured their beachheads and moved further inland.
However, not all the landings were successful; US forces suffered substantial losses at Omaha beach, where strong currents forced many landing craft away from their intended positions, delaying and hampering the invasion strategy.
