Trump will not attend Dover ceremony on remains of US soldiers, sending Hegseth instead

The White House on Friday confirmed that President Donald Trump will not attend the dignified transfer of four U.S. soldiers who died during a training exercise in Lithuania last week, and will send Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth instead.

The ceremony in Dover, Delaware, will take place on Friday afternoon but will not be open to the press at the request of the families. 

The ceremony is to reunite the bodies of Sgt. Jose Duenez of Joliet, Illinois; Sgt. Edvin F. Franco of Glendale, California; Sgt. Troy S. Knutson-Collins of Battle Creek, Michigan; and Pfc. Dante D. Taitano of Dededo, Guam, with their families.

The soldiers were all part of a maintenance mission with an M88A2 Hercules armored vehicle to recover another Army vehicle at a nearby training area. Their vehicle was later found submerged in a peat bog.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Hegseth will represent the administration at the ceremony, but did not comment on why the president chose not to attend.

“The Secretary of Defense will represent the Administration at the dignified transfer for the four brave U.S. service members who tragically died during a training exercise in Lithuania,” Leavitt said.

Vice President JD Vance will also not attend the ceremony, and Trump is expected to remain in Florida.

A group of Democratic senators are also expected to attend, including Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin and Sens. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, and Chris Coons of Delaware, according to The Hill.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.