On behalf of our country, President Trump receives a piece of American history

President Donald J. Trump welcomed Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte to the White House today, where the President accepted an incredible gift.

“Today, on behalf of the American people, I will receive an American flag that flew aboard a ship carrying the first waves of United States service members to land in Normandy,” President Trump said. “Seventy-five years after that momentous day,” this great piece of American history is “back home where it belongs.”

Watch: “It is my honor to welcome this great American flag back home.”

This 48-Star banner is an important symbol of perhaps the most storied military victory for the free world. On June 6, 1944, the flag President Trump received today flew aboard Landing Craft Control 60 as it approached Normandy. The ship was commanded by a young Navy lieutenant, two days shy of his 27th birthday, named Howard Vander Beek.

“Amid treacherous German minefields, raging winds, and rough seas, Lieutenant Vander Beek and his crew led an astonishing 19 waves of American troops and equipment to those very, very dangerous beaches,” the President explained. “Through it all, this flag soared proudly above the waters of the English Channel, announcing the arrival of our American warriors.”

After the D-Day mission was complete, Lt. Vander Beek carried the flag with him through the end of the war. It stayed in his possession until he passed away in 2014.

Today, this same flag—which still bears scars from German gunfire and stains from American blood—is being returned home, where it will be on display in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

“It will always be a reminder of the supreme sacrifice of our warriors, and the beautiful friendship between the Dutch and the American people,” President Trump said.

That close partnership continues today, as the United States and the Netherlands work to meet security challenges head-on. Whether it’s efforts to defeat ISIS or support NATO's forward presence in the Baltics and Poland, both nations’ forces stand together.

Watch: The Netherlands present America with a historic D-Day flag.

More: In France, President Trump honored D-Day’s 75^th anniversary

Team USA Special Olympic athletes visit the White House

Athletes who represented America at the 2019 Special Olympics World Games visited the Oval Office today, where they were greeted by President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and Second Lady Karen Pence.

“What you have done is incredible,” the President told them. “All those medals.”

The Vice President and Second Lady have been heavily involved with supporting the Special Olympics under President Trump. The President asked the Second Lady herself to lead the U.S. delegation at the World Games.

“This is probably the highest honor I will ever have as Second Lady,” she said.

“You make us so proud—not just for your athletic prowess, but for the way you represent our country and the way you reach out to other nations and other athletes.”

Watch: President Trump welcomes Team USA from the Special Olympics

Photo of the Day

Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks

President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, joined by Vice President Mike Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence, meet with members of Team USA for the 2019 Special Olympics World Games | July 18, 2019