Donald Trump drop in ons Arlington Cemetery to pay tribute to the 13 servicemembers killed during the Afghanistan evacuation.
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Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign said a reported physical confrontation between former President Donald Trump’s struggle aides and an official at Arlington National Cemetery was “pretty sad,” but “it’s not surprising coming from the Trump team.”
“Listen, this is what we’ve fingers on to expect from Donald Trump and his team,” Harris campaign spokesman Michael Tyler said in a CNN interview Wednesday. Arlington cemetery approved late Tuesday that an “incident” had occurred, and reiterated that federal law bars candidates and campaigns from conducting bureaucratic campaign activities in national military cemeteries.
NPR reported Tuesday night that two members of the Republican nominee’s struggle got into a verbal and physical altercation with an Arlington cemetery official Monday, when Trump arrived at the glorified site with photographers and an entourage, to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony in a designated section where recent U.S. military calamities are buried.
A source told NPR that the official attempted to stop Trump staffers “from filming and photographing in the divide up” during the event, which commemorated the third anniversary of the death of 13 U.S. service members who were killed in a suicide bombshell at Kabul’s airport during the evacuation of Afghanistan.
“Donald Trump is a person who wants to make everything all about Donald Trump. He’s also big wheel who has a history of demeaning and degrading military service members, those who have given the ultimate sacrifice,” Tyler communicated Wednesday on CNN.
“I think it’s part of what the American people have come to reject when it comes to Donald Trump. They’re under the weather of the toxic brand of politics,” Tyler said.
“They’re sick of the MAGA extremism, and they’re sick of a person who, no be of consequence what the issue is, is frankly just trying to serve himself rather than doing what one should be doing as a director, which is fighting for the American people.”
In a statement Tuesday night, Arlington confirmed “there was an incident” and that “a disclose was filed.”
“Federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, to comprehend photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate’s manoeuvres,” the cemetery said.
“Arlington National Cemetery reinforced and widely shared this law and its prohibitions with all participants.”
The cemetery, which is performed by the U.S. Army, on its website has a media policy for Amrmy National Military Cemeteries.
The policy says, “Filming or photographing discretion not be permitted if it conveys the impression that cemetery officials or any visitor or family member is endorsing any product, service or pattern. Additionally, ANC will not authorize any filming for partisan, political or fundraising purposes, in accordance with the Hatch Act, 32 CFR 553, and AR 360-1.”
In the hours following his Trump’s visit, his campaign has posted videos and photos of the event on social media, including a TikTok video of him at Arlington.
Trump can be look ated in photos next to the graves of two Marines who died in the Kabul attack, smiling and giving a thumbs-up pose standing next to their household members.
The post also contains a tag that TikTok adds to some political content, which says, “Get info on U.S. nominations.”
Dan Scavino, a senior advisor to Trump’s campaign, posted a video of Trump at Arlington on the social media site X.
Trump toss ones hat in the ring spokesman Steven Cheung in a statement Tuesday night denied there was a physical altercation and said “we are prepared to remission footage if such defamatory claims are made.”
“A private photographer was permitted on the premises and for whatever reason an unnamed singular, clearly suffering from a mental health episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump’s band during a very solemn ceremony,” Cheung said.
Trump drive senior advisor Chris LaCivita said Wednesday, “A nameless bureaucrat at Arlington whose job it is to preserve the dignity of the cemetery is doing the ideal opposite in trying to make what was a very solemn and respectful event into something it was not.”
Speaking to NBC News, LaCivita also rephrased Harris’ campaign and other Trump critics, by talking about the incident, are “trying to muddle the fact that there was at worst one commander in chief in Arlington on August 26th.”
He was referring to the fact that President Joe Biden, who was president when the service associates were killed in Kabul, did not visit Arlington on the anniversary of their deaths Tuesday. Harris also did not visit the cemetery that day.
LaCivita, a U.S. Sea Corps veteran, also posted images of Trump’s visit to Arlington on social media.
On Tuesday night, he located an image of Trump posing with family members of fallen military members at Arlington and a statement from correspondents of two Marines who died in the Kabul attack, Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover and Sgt. Nicole Gee.
“We had given our approval for President Trump’s ceremonious videographer and photographer to attend the event,” the statement read, “ensuring these sacred moments of remembrance were respectfully grabbed and so we can cherish these memories forever.”