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Fears Ease of Chemical Explosion in California; Trump Delivers Address at Arlington National Cemetery. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired May 25, 2026 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[13:00:02]

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And our nation is doing better today than it's ever done before.

(APPLAUSE)

(CHEERING)

TRUMP: Right? That's right.

The cause of independence exploded from that part of the American soul that will not be tamed, that will never be conquered, that will rather face death than to live as slaves to the arbitrary will of another.

This is the unyielding spirit that has always set Americans apart and driven generations of American warriors into battle, their chest beating with a cry that says, we will govern ourselves. We will control our destiny. We will bow to no one but the righteous God who made us and who gave us our rights and blessed this land of free and the bravest of the brave.

Ten days into the legendary Battle of the Bulge in World War II, Lieutenant Colonel Keith Warren led 11 men in a tank against entrenched German positions, the toughest positions anywhere in the world. Half the patrol, including Ware himself, were soon wounded, yet still he killed five enemy riflemen, demolished three German machine gun nests, forced a fourth to surrender, and captured the hill.

For his heroism, he received the Congressional Medal of Honor. Unlike most drafted soldiers, Ware stayed in the Army and rose to the rank of general, a highly respected general. In Vietnam, as commander of the First Infantry, the Big Red One, they called it...

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Woo!

TRUMP: That's very nice.

(LAUGHTER)

TRUMP: He led from the front. And, in 1968, that's where he was shot down, surveying enemy positions for the famous assault on Hill 222. Known as the Fighting General, he's buried here in Arlington. And with us is his grandson and namesake, Staff Sergeant Keith Warren, an Air Force veteran.

Keith? Where are you, Keith? Where are you, Keith? Hi, Keith.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: Thank you very much. Great honor.

We're also honored to be joined by a man who, like General Ware, is a veteran of the largest battle in U.S. Army history, the Battle of the Bulge. At 15, Harry Miller lied about his age to enlist and was soon fighting to stop the S.S. Panzer divisions as part of the famed 740th Tank Battalion.

The Daredevils, they were called, of which he is among the last surviving members at 97 years old. Within six months after the battle, Harry's unit lost 42 comrades. He's remembering them today.

Sergeant Miller, it is a true honor to have you with us, Sergeant Miller.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: And he looks great. Thank you.

Many of the greatest men of that generation followed along an epic path from World War two to Korea and to Vietnam. Major Charles Kelly was the father of aggressive dust-off helicopter flying that made Army medical evacuation pilots among the most fearless in Vietnam, the greatest helicopter pilots, they say, that ever lived.

Like Sergeant Miller, Charles enlisted to serve in World War II at age 15. He was wounded at the Battle of Aachen and went on to fight in Korea. But flying helicopter ambulances in Vietnam is what etched his name into history.

"Since I have been here," he wrote in 1964, "we have evacuated 1,800 casualties. And in the last three months, we've flown 242 at night." No other unit can match this, and they flew the most dangerous routes probably in the history of warfare.

[13:05:08]

Two weeks later, under brutal enemy fire, Kelly refused to withdraw until he had loaded the wounded aboard. As he prepared for takeoff, an enemy bullet pierced his heart, yet Charles Kelly's heroic lifesaving style lived on.

His comrades and command passed on to Captain Patrick Henry Brady. And four years later, Brady piloted three damaged helicopters in turn to evacuate an incredible 51 wounded warriors under intense fire, fire like no one has seen up until that point.

For this, he received also the Congressional Medal of Honor. General Brady is with us at 89 years old, as we salute his fallen mentor, Charles Kelly.

Thank you very much. Thank you for being here.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: Thank you very much.

Sergeant 1st Class Matthew McClintock enlisted in the Army in 2006 and became a very special Green Beret. In 2016, he found himself in an hourslong firefight with Afghan terrorists. When a comrade was severely wounded, Matthew wanted to find a landing zone for a medevac rescue, very dangerous, horrible, horrible way to be flying.

He was reminded on the dangers, but Matthew replied: "We have to save him. We have to do it."

Running out in the face of mortars and rocket-propelled grenades, he went to work, but was soon gravely wounded. He was hit from every possible angle. Matthew fell that day, but the soldier he gave his life to save survived and thrived.

And Matthew was awarded the Silver Star.

We're deeply honored to be joined by Matthew's mother, Joyce, his widow, Allie, and his precious young son, Declan, here to remember Matthew at his grave in Section 60 10 years later.

So, Joyce and Allie and Declan, we salute Sergeant Matthew McClintock as an American hero.

Please. Thank you.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: These are tremendous people. These are brave, brave people.

In two wars recently, we have lost a total of 13 service members. In Venezuela, which was a complete and total victory, we're working very closely with the Venezuela government right now. We took that over in one day. We lost no one.

In Operation Epic Fury, we lost 13 wonderful souls, wonderful, special people. These incredible men and women gave their lives to ensure that the world's number one state sponsor of terror will never have a nuclear weapon. Oh, and they won't. They will never have a nuclear weapon.

I'm sure you -- I'm sure you know that.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE) TRUMP: One of them was Major Ariana Savino Lince (ph). And we're joined by her great family, Omaira (ph), Darren (ph), Zevon (ph), and Wick (ph).

Stand up, please. Please. There he is. There he is. Thank you very much.

(APPLAUSE)

(CHEERING)

TRUMP: Thank you, Vic (ph).

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: Thank you very much.

To all of you, Ariana's selfless gift will not be in vain. Our debt to you is everlasting, and it's always going to end in victory. We're having victories all over the place, more than we have had in many, many decades.

Scripture tells us precious is the sight of the lord, is the death of his faithful servants; 400,000 souls rest on these grounds, these beautiful grounds, in the sacred soil, which is first consecrated in the hours of America's greatest division to be eternal symbol of national unity.

[13:10:12]

It cannot be by chance alone that the first service member led to rest here in this place of supreme sacrifice was a Union soldier by the name of Private Christman.

Private William Henry Christman of Pennsylvania, who died, is 19 years old. He was a great young man, they say. Beside him are more than 18,000 other young men named William, over 20,000 named John, over 13,000 named James, joined over time by Isaac, Elijah, Earls, Hanks, Helens, Juans, Margarets, Marys, Donalds, not too many, and others whose names tell the true story of American greatness.

And greatness it, is. Here beneath arching trees and white stones so beautiful, these many are made one again, united forever as brothers and sisters in arms and children of our fathers in heaven. From coast to coast, from proud cities to humble towns, and from heartland fields, from every race and religion, they came because they could not bear the thought that the nation they loved so much might ask for heroes and hear no answer.

But they answered, and they answered very, very loudly at Ticonderoga and San Juan Hill, at Manila Bay and Midway, at Pointe du Hoc and Busan. The courage of the American warrior has forged a path through every sea and every place that sparked a trail to every corner on the Earth.

In 250 years, America's heroes have saved more lives, freed more captives, accomplished more good, and spread more hope than any other people at any time in the history of the world.

Whole nations know liberty today, entire generations know freedom, billions and billions of people have been delivered from poverty, tyranny, and oppression because of the sacrifices we honor this day.

That's why, from Brittany to Sicily, from Panama City to Saipan, from the Netherlands to North Africa to New Zealand, this whole planet is adorned with memorials to America's fallen and to America's greatness, to their courage carved in marble and engraved in the hearts of all of mankind. We will never forget you.

From 1776 to 2026, America has always stood as a great and moral cause. Our warriors are no mere mercenaries. They are guardian angels who stride across the battlefields of history and stand watch over the highest and most beautiful plains the human spirit has ever seen, holding the line between liberty and tyranny, between civilization and barbarism, between good and evil.

Wherever the American soldier walks, wherever he fights, wherever he fails, and wherever he falls, he does it for the destiny of a nation like no other. There's never been anybody like you. And for the fate of freedom on this Earth, we salute you like nobody has ever been saluted before.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: Right.

By their deaths, those who have gone before us in battle have redeemed the promise of our founding for each future generation. They have not just made the ultimate sacrifice. They have offered the ultimate proof that we Americans do indeed love liberty. We do cherish the self government given to us by our forefathers.

We do believe with all our souls in the mission that God has given to America. And we do intend with all our strength and heart to hold high the torch our heroes handed to us, and we will never, ever let it fall.

Thank you very much. You are special, special people. We love you all. God bless the families of the fallen. God bless the men and women who serve, and God bless the United States of America.

[13:15:10]

Thank you very much, everybody.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: All right, President Trump wrapping up his remarks at Arlington National Cemetery on this Memorial Day.

And we are joined by Tara Copp, who is a Pentagon correspondent with "The Washington Post."

Just listening to him go back sort of to the founding America, but then being a nation at war at this very moment, Memorial Day has obviously a somber meaning that I think is driven home even more on this day.

TARA COPP, PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT, "THE WASHINGTON POST": It's the first time since 2021 that we're celebrating Memorial Day with troops still in combat and still very much in danger throughout the Middle East, as this peace negotiation continues through.

The president even said earlier today and throughout this weekend that, if these negotiations don't go the way he wants, he is not opposed to putting us back into armed conflict.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Yes, it was notable that the president specifically mentioned some of the 13 service members killed in Operation Epic Fury against Iran.

The president there also acknowledging veterans of other wars who are at Arlington National Cemetery today, talking about the fact that the country's founding, the 250th anniversary of the country's founding is this year, the president saying that: "Before we hail the founding, we honor the fallen. There would be no Independence Day without Memorial Day."

I wonder what you make of the tenor of the president's speech and obviously the significance of this being such an eventful year, such a monumentous year, as the president put it.

COPP: I felt like it was very somber and appropriate. I mean, Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery is very much a living memorial. You still see the families because it's primarily populated with veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and their friends and their family come and visit that section and sit with those members.

So, to have a ongoing conflict right now, where you still see family members in the audience of -- one of the members lost, Major Ariana Savino, her family was there in the audience -- of the latest 13 to be killed in combat was quite meaningful.

SANCHEZ: And you actually have a story in today's "Washington Post" that, in this current war, female service members have died and been injured significantly more than they have historically.

During the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, women accounted for about 2 percent of all combat casualties. In the nearly three-months-long war with Iran, female soldiers account for 12 percent of those wounded by Iranian attacks, 47 of the 405, and they account for 23 percent of those who've died.

KEILAR: Three of the 13 service members killed in action during the Iran war are actually women.

They are 34-year-old Air Force Technical Sergeant Ashley Pruitt, a wife and mother of two, 31-year-old Air Force Captain Ariana Savino, who had followed in her father's footsteps to be a pilot, and 39-year- old Army Master Sergeant Nicole Amor, who is a wife and mother of two, who was just days away from returning home in time for her son's high school graduation, which she obviously will not be in attendance for now.

Tara, this piece, it's so touching. I think it really drives home what this day is about. And, also, Ashley Pruitt's husband, Greg and Nicole Amor's husband, Joey, just entrusted you to tell their stories, which they do so beautifully, and talking as well about the challenges that their families are facing right now, which are astronomical.

Ashley was a boom operator on one of those refueling planes in that collision. Nicole was killed in the Kuwait drone attack. And, as I mentioned, they were both mothers. Can you tell us more about them?

COPP: I was really privileged to be able to talk to both Joey Amor and Greg Pruitt about their wives and about how their family was like. Joey told me that Nicole was so much more than the military career that had been kind of summarized in the stories after her death and told me about this memory, this secret that Nicole had with her daughter when they would be at stoplights.

And they would stare at the stoplight until the stoplight turned green, and they called it girl power. And it was just those touching anecdotes that show you that this is a military family. And, in this case, both had served, but both husbands had actually separated from the military, and their wives had continued serving.

[13:20:08]

And so they were able to support their wives as they deployed into this conflict. And now they're the ones at home with the children and having to mourn with their kids, but also keep up those daily routines that mom was kind of the center of.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

Joey spoke to you about Nicole's love of her job, her values of duty and honor. It is obviously remarkable, as we reflect on Memorial Day, the sacrifice that these families make, and, in particular, what these women are putting on the line, especially as there have been questions lately from some members of the administration about women's role in combat.

COPP: And Ashley Pruitt, her husband, Greg, spoke to me at length about just how good she was at her job, and, even though Washington is taking on this larger debate of whether women should be serving, told me just point blank that she didn't let the noise get to her.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

COPP: She was really focused on doing her job, and doing it well, and letting those actions speak for themselves.

KEILAR: There's also just the nature -- and you get to this in your piece too -- the nature of the danger that service members are in, and we reflect on this today on Memorial Day -- because of the changing dynamic of warfare and drones, that everyone -- and this also -- we saw this as well in Iran and Afghanistan.

One of the most perilous positions was to be a truck driver, right, driving things to the front line. But drones are really changing warfare. And they're making everyone at risk. We saw that in Kuwait.

COPP: You're exactly right.

You know, we saw this in Iraq and Afghanistan, where roadside bombs kind of changed who was at risk in those long convoys. And we're seeing it now in this conflict, where drones can hit far beyond what we would think the front line is, far from Iran's borders, and, in this case, Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, where six service members -- or seven service members were hit by a drone.

And then, in the air collision, that's because we were orchestrating this enormous air campaign to do long-range strike and to hit targets all over Iran, and the sky was really congested. And you had this collision, this really unfortunate collision between these two tankers.

But from not only the way war has changed, but the fact that we're at the 10-year anniversary of combat roles being open to women, you see women in all of these different career fields throughout the military where, maybe in the past, it wouldn't have been considered at at-risk position.

Anyone who's out there right now is at risk, and they know it.

KEILAR: Well, it's such a -- it's such an important story that you tell about these families. It's just -- it's a tough time for them. They have just made it through Mother's Day.

And I just recommend that anyone take a look at this in "The Washington Post." It's a beautiful story that you have written, Tara. And, obviously, our thoughts and prayers are with these families as they're going through this.

Thank you very much.

COPP: Thank you so much for helping tell it.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

KEILAR: Still to come: Fears of a chemical explosion just miles from Disneyland are easing, but the threat has not been completely eliminated. We have the latest out of Southern California.

SANCHEZ: And, later, the pope comparing artificial intelligence to the Tower of Babel. Hear his greatest concerns about the emerging technology, as we follow these major developing stories and many more on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:27:30]

SANCHEZ: We're following breaking news concerning an overheated chemical tank that forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate in Orange County, California. Officials there say that the threat of a potentially catastrophic explosion is fortunately over.

KEILAR: The interim fire chief has confirmed to CNN that an overnight operation to cool the temperature inside of the tank is working and that a crack on the tank's exterior has brought down the pressure inside the tank, but he says the incident is still not under control.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF T.J. MCGOVERN, ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, INTERIM FIRE CHIEF: We're happy to report the threat of a BLEVE has been eliminated. That's something we went after last night. So what we can report now is the threat of a BLEVE has been eliminated.

There's still a threat of an explosion or -- the incident's not under control yet, but we really went after the threat of a BLEVE, and we mitigated that, and we're happy to report that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: All right, a BLEVE is boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion.

Veronica Miracle, who is there in Orange County, it's a very serious thing. Explain to us what the chief means when he's saying that this has been eliminated, even as there does still appear to be some risk factors here.

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, certainly, the threat is not over.

As you talked about a BLEVE, if a BLEVE would have happened, it would have been like a mushroom cloud fireball of an explosion. It would have created catastrophic damage to all of the properties in the vicinity, and it could have potentially sent 7,000 gallons of that toxic chemical MMA into the air.

So, because the crack has been reducing the pressure inside, that threat has is -- off the table, is what they're telling us. They also said that the temperature inside the tank has significantly gone down. Over the weekend, it had maxed out -- the temperature gauge maxed out at about 100 degrees.

It's now at 93. They want to see it at 85 degrees, so it is trending in the right direction. What they also said, though, is that the possibility of a smaller explosion, that's not off the table. That is still potentially there, and that's why they have not reduced evacuation zone size, and they're not letting everybody back in yet, so an explosion still potentially on the table.

But what they think is happening is that the chemical is solidifying inside the tank. Now, how much has it solidified? That's what they're trying to figure out right now. And how much has the risk reduced? That's what they're also trying to figure out right now.

For now, 50,000 people are still forced out of their homes. We understand about four evacuation sites, four evacuation centers and shelters, those are full.