MSNBC hosts in Normandy for the 75th Anniversary of D-Day remembrance noted how adult President Donald Trump was during the ceremony.
The comments came from veteran newsman Tom Brokaw, who first attended a D-Day ceremony 35 years ago during the 40th Anniversary.
"I thought today both presidents handled themselves extremely well," said Brokaw. "In a way surprising us. I thought the president really surprised us, frankly. He stayed on message. He reached out to not just to France, but to people everywhere who believe in the values that brought these young men to these shores, and he did it in what for him was pretty eloquent."
Trump delivered a respectful speech without going off on a tangent about his wall or attacking Democrats, something that he hasn't done in months.
"And the French President [Emmanuel] Macron, at the same time, he went out of his way to encourage the French people to thank America for all that they've done," Brokaw said. "I've heard other French presidents not quite characterize it that way when I've been here before. And when you think about to [Charles] de Gaulle, when he came ashore after we had made all of those sacrifices, he said, okay, we'll run the country now. You've done enough. So this was a day in which both countries, two presidents found common ground and we could use more of it."
The other panelists remarked that Macron couldn't help but echo sentiments of other leaders who worked to reinforce the importance of allies and institutions. Trump campaigned on leaving the NATO alliance, a sentiment Russian President Vladimir Putin has long advocated. During his trip, the Queen of England gave a toast at a state dinner in which she talked about the importance of allies and institutions.
Watch the full commentary below:
