Trump pays tribute to fallen officers

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump paid emotional tribute Tuesday to fallen law enforcement officers and the loved ones who carry on without them, saying those who wore the uniform “were among the bravest Americans to ever live.”

“They made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could live in safety and in peace,” Trump said.

Trump shared the stories of some of the families gathered in the crowd.

Near the end of his speech, he invited onstage the elderly mother and other loved ones of a slain police officer from his native New York City. Officer Miosotis Familia, a mother of three, was killed in July 2017 after being shot in the head by a man who fired into a parked police vehicle in the Bronx. The gunman was later fatally shot by police.

“I’d like to have this family,” he said, as he urged them to join him.

Trump joked that he had promised not to reveal the age of Familia’s mother, Adrianna Valoy, but that she climbed the stairs better than he did. Trump turns 72 next month.

“So I promised that I wouldn’t tell you that she’s 90 years old, but, you know what, she is really something, right?” he told the audience. “You look like 55 maybe, 55. Boy, I’ll tell you what. You got up those stairs better than I did.”

After inviting Familia’s police partner to say a few words, Trump told her children how proud their mother was of them.

“She’s looking down, and she’s so proud of you. She’s so proud of you. And you are great,” Trump said. “Your mom’s legacy will never, ever die.”