President Donald Trump hosted four World War II veterans at the White House on Thursday, keeping a promise made to 95-year-old Allen Jones last June.
“Beautiful afternoon in the Oval Office today with a few great American HEROES!” Trump tweeted Thursday afternoon, along with a video showing his June conversation with Jones.
Beautiful afternoon in the Oval Office today with a few great American HEROES! pic.twitter.com/HYEI83NVrm
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 11, 2019
“I’m going to be 95 years of age on April 11 of next year,” the retired sergeant told the president while appearing with him at a Kansas City VFW event in June. “Hopefully, you will allow me to bring my family into the Oval Office to meet you.”
The president responded with an enthusiastic “Yes!”
Fast forward to Thursday, April 11, and Jones joined centenarians Floyd Wigfield, Sidney Walton and Paul Kriner inside the Oval Office for a visit with Trump. Wigfield even reportedly won a promise from Trump for a ride aboard Air Force One back to the United States after June’s annual D-Day ceremony.
“We’ll work that out,” the president told Wigfield. “You’ll like Air Force One.” (RELATED: Trump Honors Normandy Vets In SOTU — Gets HUGE Thumbs-Up)
President Trump said the veterans were “great heroes, great warriors, highly respected,” from a time when “we knew how to win wars.”
“That was a great victory,” Pres Trump said of World War II. “We knew how to win wars,” he told the veterans. “This is a special moment,” he said of the veterans visit. pic.twitter.com/8Fb5Uhaenm
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) April 11, 2019
“I want to be like all of you someday,” @POTUS says, noting some of the vets are 100 or older. “You don’t look a day over 90.,” he tells 103-year-old Paul Kriner, before rolling in his chair to shake hands with a few. (Photo by print pooler @BennettJohnT) pic.twitter.com/OfoJqIKA0o
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) April 11, 2019