Fact Check: Residents of French village asked Hegseth to skip D-Day ceremony

Residents of Langrune-sur-Mer, the French village that hosted a D-Day anniversary ceremony, publicly urged that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth not attend the event on June 6, 2026. Langrune en Commun, the residents’ association, released a statement on June 2 asking Hegseth to cancel his visit out of respect for those who died defending democracy. Hegseth did not attend the Langrune ceremony, though he appeared at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer on D-Day. The exact reason for skipping the Langrune event remained unclear, and the claim about being “persona non grata” circulated online before Snopes sought comment from officials. France 24 later reported he did not attend the Langrune ceremony.