Speaking at an annual Memorial Day event near the Delaware Memorial Bridge on Sunday, US President Joe Biden described the armed forces as "the solid spine of our country."
"I know that pride you feel in the loved one, and that you lost, and those who are still serving, pride and bravery in the service to our great American experiment," he said. "Our military community is the solid spine of this country, the spine of the nation."
The POTUS added that he wanted to reaffirm a "long standing belief" during his first Memorial Day as the country’s commander-in-chief: "We may have many obligations as a nation, we only have one truly sacred obligation. And that’s to equip those that we send into harm’s way with all they need, care for them and their families when they return home and when they don’t."
Biden’s speech, which focused on veterans and their families, contrasted the message tweeted by US Vice President Kamala Harris, who simply told people to "enjoy the long weekend."
Soon after, as a backlash ensued, Harris posted another tweet in which she wrote about US "service men and women" risking everything to "defend our freedoms and our country" throughout the United States’ history, and about remembering "their service and their sacrifice."