While the Democrats were busy trying to rip each other’s guts out on stage last night, President Trump was holding a rally last night in Phoeniz, Arizona.

It is one of the more brilliant strategic moves by the Trump campaign to hold campaign rallies across the nation on Democrat debate nights. The media would loooove it if they thought that Trump was sitting in the White House, gnashing his teeth, and then furiously tweeting his reactions. Having the president at rallies makes it obvious that he isn’t watching the debates, and it requires the media to be his alibi at the same time.

At the Arizona rally last night, a World War II veteran named Ervin Julian was helped to his seat by a couple of other attendees. While that doesn’t seem out of the ordinary, it was the fact that the men helping this 100 year old veteran created an arm chair and carried him to his seat. A local reporter caught it on video, tweeted it out, and the viral moment was born.

This happened at the @realDonaldTrump rally in Phoenix. Lots of teamwork here. These men carrying a World War II veteran to his seat. Got to admit I got a lump in my throat pic.twitter.com/E8vV8gthQn

— Kari Lake (@KariLakeFox10) February 19, 2020

Local and national media then began to pick up the moment, and by the time that Donald Trump took the stage, he knew about it, too. And with great showmanship and timing, he knew just how to call attention to Ervin Julian and those who had helped him out.

During President Trump’s speech, he honored Mr. Julian before the inside audience of an estimated 20,000 people, thanking Mr. Julian before the veteran was lifted up by the men who had carried him to his place of prominence. The crowd roared and chanted again as the president faced Mr. Julian and continued to clap for the World War II veteran.”

The president’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., then approached Mr. Julian and the men assisting him, shaking each of their hands and giving them hats.”

“I want to thank you, really,” President Trump said to Mr. Julian, adding, “Thank you for the great job you’ve done. An American patriot.”

What a profoundly lovely moment, especially when contrasted with the backstabbing viciousness that was happening on the debate stage in Nevada.

We are rapidly losing the “greatest generation” as they pass away into history. Just in the last few days, the news broke that Donald Stratton, one of the last survivors of the USS Arizona, had passed away at age 97. There are now only two Arizona survivors left. My children’s generation (currently known as “Gen Z,” the generation after the Millennials – I told my 16 year old that they are going to end up being known as the “Insta-generation” if they’re not careful) don’t even know what they are losing when their great-grandparents die. But a moment like this, translated into “their” language – a viral video – sneaks into their social media feeds and at least makes them realize that there were once average men who did extraordinary things to save the world from tyranny. The Marines are currently commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima, and the lives and heroism that battle took to win. May we always stop to remember them, and, in the words of General Patton, “thank God that such men lived.”

Last night, President Trump did exactly that, along with everyone at the rally in Phoenix. It was a beautiful tribute to this one veteran, and an expression of patriotism and pride for the rest of the audience.

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Featured image: President Trump lands in Arizona on February 19, 2020 (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead, cropped, public domain)