Trump lays wreath at Arlington National Cemetery as Tulsi Gabbard cuts a lonely figure after quitting White House

By NIKKI SCHWAB, CHIEF CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT Published: 17:55, 25 May 2026 | Updated: 17:59, 25 May 2026 President Donald Trump commemorated Memorial Day on Monday with an appearance at Arlington National Cemetery. It likely marked one of his final appearances alongside departing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who informed the President on Friday that she would leave the job at the end of June.  She said she was leaving the administration due to her husband's cancer diagnosis.  A former Democratic congresswoman who backed progressive Senator Bernie Sanders during the 2016 race, Gabbard was welcomed into Trump's MAGA fold during the 2024 race. Gabbard helped the President build a bipartisan coalition that also included former Democrat, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, now Trump's Health and Human Services Secretary.   She's a US Army reservist who served in the Iraq war.  Gabbard stood alongside other Cabinet members, including Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and FBI Director Kash Patel.  Trump participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery alongside Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.   President Donald Trump participates in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday to mark Memorial Day  Cabinet members including outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard (third from right) attend Memorial Day services at Arlington National Cemetery. Also attending (from left) Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and FBI Director Kash Patel Protesters set up a demonstration against President Donald Trump's proposed arch, which he passed by in his motorcade en route to Arlington National Cemetery Monday  En route to Arlington, Trump's motorcade passed the site where the President wants to build his triumphal arch, to mark the country's 250th birthday.  On Monday, a group of anti-arch protesters had gathered at the site, heckling the President as he drove by.  'Less than six weeks from now, our nation will reach a historic milestone, 250 years of majestic independence,' Trump said at Arlington. 'Before we hail the founding, we honor the fallen. Before we celebrate the triumph, we pay the tribute.'  This is breaking news and will be updated.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.