Donald Trump is scheduled to take part in the traditional wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on May 25, during día de los caídos 2026 observances. The ceremony begins at noon at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the National Memorial Day Commemoration will follow at the Memorial Amphitheater.
JD Vance, Pete Hegseth and Major General Antoinette Gant are also expected to attend. Both events will be streamed live, giving viewers a direct look at the main Memorial Day observances at Arlington.
Arlington National Cemetery
The wreath-laying ceremony is part of a sequence that begins with the traditional flag-placement work by the U.S. Army Old Guard. On May 21, members of the Old Guard placed about 250,000 flags in front of headstones at the national cemetery.
That flag tradition has been carried out every year since 1948, after the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment was designated as the Army's official ceremonial unit. All available soldiers from the Old Guard take part in the placement effort.
National Memorial Day Commemoration
After the wreath-laying ceremony, the observance moves to the Memorial Amphitheater for the National Memorial Day Commemoration. The president and the vice president are expected to give speeches there, making the Arlington program a two-part public event with both ceremony and remarks.
For people following the day from home, the practical takeaway is simple: the main Arlington observance starts at noon, the wreath-laying comes first, and the commemoration with speeches follows. The livestreams make it possible to watch the full sequence without being at the cemetery.
