On May 25 at Arlington National Cemetery the 79-year-old president reflected on the "400,000 souls" buried on the grounds and invoked Private William Henry Christman, a 19-year-old Union soldier. In recounting common names laid to rest there—"more than eighteen thousand" Williams, "over twenty thousand" Johns and "over thirteen thousand" Jamess—he also listed Isaacs, Elijahs, Earls, Hanks, Helens, Juans, Margarets, Marius and "Donalds," then chuckled and quipped "not too many" after mentioning his own name.
Video of the exchange circulated quickly and commenters were scathing. One user called it "an absolute abomination. That's sacred ground." Others wrote that at Arlington "you don’t play to the crowd" and criticized the president for turning a solemn occasion into what one called a "roast," saying he "failed miserably" to meet the moment.