Donald Trump visits Arlington Cemetery to honor the 13 service members who died during the evacuation in Afghanistan.
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Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign says a reported physical altercation between former President Donald Trump’s campaign aides and an Arlington National Cemetery official is “very sad,” but “The Trump team is not surprised by this.”
“Listen, this is what we expect from Donald Trump and his team,” Harris campaign spokesman Michael Taylor told CNN on Wednesday. Arlington Cemetery confirmed an “incident” occurred Tuesday night , and reiterated that federal law prohibits candidates and campaigns from conducting political campaigns at national military cemeteries.
NPR According to reports Tuesday night, two members of the Republican candidate’s campaign team and a Arlington Cemetery Trump arrived at the Holy Land on Monday with photographers and an entourage for a wreath-laying ceremony at a designated site where U.S. military casualties have recently been buried.
A source told NPR that the official was trying to prevent Trump staff from “filming and taking photos in the area” during the event, which commemorated the third anniversary of the suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members at the Kabul airport. Afghanistan.
“Donald Trump is a guy who wants to make everything about Donald Trump,” Taylor said Wednesday on CNN. “He also has a history of belittling and belittling military personnel who have made the ultimate sacrifice. .
“I think that’s part of the reason the American people are rejecting when it comes to Donald Trump. They’re tired of the toxic brand of politics,” Taylor said.
“They’re tired of MAGA extremism, they’re tired of a guy who, no matter what the issue is, is, frankly, just trying to serve himself instead of doing what a leader should do, which is fight for the American people. “
Arrington confirmed in a statement Tuesday night that “an incident occurred” and “a report has been submitted.”
“Federal law prohibits political campaigning or election-related activities at Army National Military Cemetery, including for photographers, content creators or any other person to participate in or directly support the campaign of a partisan political candidate,” the cemetery said.
“Arlington National Cemetery reinforced and widely shared this law and its prohibitions with all involved.”
In the days following Trump’s visit, his campaign posted videos and photos from the event on social media, including Tik Tok Video of him in Arlington.
In the photo, Trump can be seen smiling and giving a thumbs up while standing next to the families of two Marines killed in the Kabul attack at their graves.
The post also included a label TikTok added to some political content that read “Get information about the U.S. election.”
Dan Scavino, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, posted a video of Trump in Arlington on the social media site X.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung denied in a statement late Tuesday that there was a physical altercation and said “we are prepared to release the video if such defamatory allegations arise.”
“A private photographer was allowed into the venue, but for whatever reason, an unnamed individual who apparently suffered from mental health issues decided to block President Trump’s team during a very solemn ceremony,” Zhang said. members.
“A faceless bureaucrat in Arlington whose job is to maintain the dignity of a cemetery has done the exact opposite by trying to turn a very solemn and respectful cemetery into a cemetery,” Trump campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivetta said Wednesday. The respectable event was a mess.
LaCivita also said in an interview with NBC News that Harris’ campaign and other Trump critics talked about the incident “to try to hide the fact that there was only one commander in chief at Arlington on August 26.”
He was referring to the fact that President Joe Biden, who was president when the service members were killed in Kabul, did not visit Arlington on the anniversary of the death on Tuesday. Harris also did not visit the cemetery that day.
U.S. Marine Corps veteran LaCivita also posted photos of Trump’s visit to Arlington on social media.
On Tuesday night, he posted a photo of Trump posing with the families of service members killed in Arlington, as well as a statement from relatives of two Marines killed in the Kabul attack. Tyler Hoover and Sgt. Nicole Gee.
“We have approved President Trump’s official photographer and videographer to attend the event to ensure these sacred moments of remembrance are honored so we can cherish these memories forever,” the statement read.
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