Here’s What Democrats Chose to Do This Memorial Day Instead of Honoring Our Fallen Heroes

Jarrett Stepman

•   May 26, 2026

Memorial Day is a special time on the American calendar when we take a moment to think about and pay tribute to those who gave their lives for this wonderful country we call home.

It’s a wonderful and venerated tradition.

But the Left isn’t too interested in that. It has higher priorities.

Whatever it is you decided to do this Memorial Day, it was almost certainly time better spent than what the typical Democrat official was doing over the weekend.

If they just said, “Have a nice day, enjoy the weather,” as former Vice President Kamala Harris did in 2021, it would have been better than what a whole host of them decided to do this year.

This Memorial Day, they didn’t just ignore the occasion; many focused their energy on making cheap partisan talking points, joining mobs on behalf of illegal aliens, and showing how generally disconnected they are from the traditional values of this country.

It was a perfectly Democrat way to kick off the summer.

Let’s have a quick roundup.

The Partisan Cheap Shot at the Expense of Fallen Soldiers

The first and maybe the most egregious example of bad behavior this Memorial Day came from the Democratic National Committee.

“Today, we honor the American heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in [President Donald] Trump’s war with Iran,” the official Democrat X account said on Monday.

Using the deaths of these soldiers to take a shot at the president didn’t go over very well on social media. Some commentators called it “repulsive” and “appalling.”

The post was bad enough that one Democrat rightly spoke up. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a veteran who represents Illinois, chimed in to denounce the post.

“It is incredibly distasteful to use our heroic dead for a political attack on Memorial Day,” she wrote on X. “I’m a Democrat and I condemn this post by the DNC.”

The DNC then deleted the post and added a generic tribute to fallen troops.

Skipping the Parade, Joining the Mob

Instead of honoring Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country, top New Jersey Democrats decided to fight for criminal illegal aliens who’ve broken our laws.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Sen. Andy Kim, both Democrats, showed up at the Delaney Hall Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Newark on Monday to protest on behalf of those detained there.

They claimed that the illegal aliens being detained had been mistreated and were on a hunger strike. Both these claims have been denied by the Department of Homeland Security. Whatever the accusation, this ended up being more of a riot than a mere protest as the mob tried to block the ICE facility and threw bottles at the employees.

Federal agents eventually deployed pepper spray to disperse the crowd. Sam Stein at the Bulwark threw a completely out-of-context post up on X, saying merely that “ICE pepper sprayed a US Senator today.”

In journalism that’s called burying the lede.

DHS said in a statement that nobody had been struck by the pepper spray balls and that it had been used because “rioters refused to follow law enforcement commands and continue to obstruct the exit route.”

In a video of the incident, Kim appeared to be dissuading the crowd from attacking the facility, but he was jeered and clearly ignored.

ICE later posted a quick roundup of occupants in the Newark detention center.

“Jose De La O Lainez, a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador, arrested in Plainfield, New Jersey. His criminal history includes homicide.”

“Jhan Martinez-Valverde, a criminal illegal alien from Peru, arrested in Elizabeth, New Jersey. His criminal history includes sex offense against a child.”

“Sergio Marques Abrantes, a criminal illegal alien from Portugal, arrested in Newark, New Jersey. His criminal history includes enticement of a minor for indecent purposes.”

I’ve got an idea. Here me out, New Jersey Democrats.

Instead of rushing to the aid of murderers, rapists, and pedophiles, I have a list of names they may want to consider taking a small moment of their precious time to honor next year.

Here’s a local boy they may want to consider. Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone grew up in Raritan, New Jersey, and earned the Medal of Honor for valiant action at the Battle of Guadalcanal when he held off a Japanese attack with his pistol. He saved the lives of many men and continued to serve with distinction through the Pacific War.

Basilone was later killed at the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Just a suggestion for next year.

Grumbling About Military Spending

Among the pettier moments this Memorial Day weekend were the barbs aimed at military displays.

Fake Somali-run “daycares” siphoned off billions of dollars from state and federal treasuries, and it hardly registered a shrug on the Left. But briefly flying a military helicopter over a car race to pay homage to the troops? *Gasp* Waste!

Here’s California Gov. Gavin Newsom telling Secretary of War Pete Hegseth that all we want is “lower gas prices.”

Keep in mind, if the governor cared about the highest-in-nation gas prices in his state, he could have done something about them years ago. Newsom clearly doesn’t mind using astronomical amounts of taxpayer dollars on projects to appease and enrich the state’s social justice warrior class. Or himself.

George Floyd

Finally, we come to another true “hero” Democrats spent time honoring this Memorial Day: George Floyd.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey decided to pay special tribute to Floyd.

We are committed to honoring this place both as a memorial with global significance and as a neighborhood where people live, work, gather, and heal,” Frey said of George Floyd Square. “The work ahead is bigger than any one moment or administration.”

Fox News host Lisa Boothe called it a “disgrace” to honor a “criminal” on Memorial Day.

“Patriotic Americans spend today remembering those heroes of our armed forces who gave their lives in service of this country, not praying at the altar of a felon druggy who died of a fentanyl overdose, you moronic sniveling coward,” radio host Buck Sexton wrote on X.

Here’s Waltz dancing at the George Floyd Square ceremony instead of attending Memorial Day ceremonies.

If there was any doubt about how Democrats and the Left will respond to this year’s 250th anniversary celebrations on the Fourth of July, I’d say this has been an enlightening preview of what’s to come.

Jarrett Stepman
Jarrett Stepman | Columnist
Jarrett Stepman is a columnist for The Daily Signal. He is also the author of “The War on History: The Conspiracy to Rewrite America’s Past.” Send an email to Jarrett

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