U.S. President Donald Trump to skip American cemetery visit during NATO Summit

The president of the United States, Donald Trump, will not be visiting the American cemetery in Margraten during the NATO Summit. The municipality of Eijsden-Margraten has received confirmation of this, the municipality said on Friday in a statement.

A formal invite to the president was made in December 2023. Preparations had been made for the visit in the recent period. “We were completely ready for a visit and had every confidence that it could have taken place in a safe and dignified manner,” the Mayor of Eijsden-Margraten, Alain Krijnen, said.

More than 8,000 former members of the American military that died during the Second World War are buried at the cemetery in Zuid-Limburg. Former U.S. President George W. Bush visited the cemetery in 2005.

Earlier this month, the opposition party PRO Eijsden-Margraten submitted a petition signed by over 4,700 residents demanding that Trump not be given a special welcome, citing his divisive rhetoric and actions perceived as undermining democratic values.

Mayor Krijnen, however, stood firm on the decision not to rescind the invitation, emphasizing that it was extended to the office of the U.S. president, not to Trump personally, and noting that the invitation was sent before the 2024 election outcome was known.

Trump will be attending the NATO Summit in The Hague on June 24 and June 25. It will be the U.S. president's first appearance at a NATO leaders' meeting since returning to office.