President Donald Trump traveled to Dover military base to pay his respects to the Navy SEAL who was killed in action during a military raid in Yemen.
The president boarded Marine One at the White House White House with his daughter Ivanka Trump, as Vice President Michael Pence, his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, and chief of staff Reince Preibus, watched him leave on the South Lawn.
The departure was deemed off the record by White House staff until the president landed, but Trump’s visit will remain closed to the press.
Chief Special Warfare Operator William “Ryan” Owens, 36, of Peoria, Ill was killed during a raid on an al-Qaeda camp in Yemen on Saturday.
Trump spoke with the family over the phone offering his “sincerest condolences” to Owens’ wife, his father and their three children, according to White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Tuesday.
Owens was also praised by Secretary of Defense James Mattis.
“Ryan gave his full measure for our nation, and in performing his duty, he upheld the noblest standard of military service,” Mattis said in a statement. “The United States would not long exist were it not for the selfless commitment of such warriors.”
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