Trump honors veterans at Arlington's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as Kennedy family fights his arch nearby

Trump honors veterans at Arlington's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as Kennedy family fights his arch nearby.

President Donald Trump marked Veterans Day on Wednesday at Arlington National Cemetery, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and delivering remarks at the 73rd National Veterans Day Observance, Reuters, PBS News and NTD reported.

Trump was joined by first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance, along with Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, according to The Hill. The president was expected to recognize veterans who served in World War II, Vietnam and Afghanistan. On Capitol Hill, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries planned an all-member tribute to veterans on the House steps in the afternoon, NBC News reported.

The ceremony unfolded a short distance from the planned site of Trump's proposed 250-foot "triumphal arch," which faces a growing legal fight. On Tuesday, nine children and grandchildren of Robert F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy asked a federal judge to let them join two lawsuits seeking to block it, arguing the structure would cast a shadow over family gravesites near the John F. Kennedy eternal flame and amount to a "permanent denigration" of them, PBS News reported. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan last week barred the administration from breaking ground for 14 days.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said the arch "is intended to honor our heroes who rest in Arlington Cemetery" and that "the judiciary should not be abused to politicize a structure designed to unite our nation."

The holiday also came as the administration faces pressure over the war with Iran. House Republicans on Tuesday narrowly shelved a resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over his handling of the conflict and other military operations, and Vance said last week he believed the war was the reason Republicans lost the midterm elections, NBC News reported.

For millions of families, the day remains about service rather than politics. Veterans Day honors all who have served in the U.S. armed forces, and ceremonies were held at cemeteries, memorials and town squares across the country.