Trump caught in controversy over military cemetery visit

Photo: Anna Moneymaker Getty Images via Agence France-Presse The US Army confirmed on Thursday that an Arlington Cemetery employee was “shoved roughly” during Donald Trump’s visit, as she tried to enforce a federal law banning political activity on the cemetery grounds.

Robin Legrand – Agence France-Presse in Washington

Published at 7:55 p.m.

• United States

Controversy is growing in the United States over Donald Trump's visit to Arlington Military Cemetery, with Kamala Harris accusing her Republican rival on Saturday of having “disrespected” this “sacred ground” for many American soldiers who died in combat.

The former president visited the cemetery near Washington on Monday for a ceremony honoring 13 soldiers killed during the 2021 withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

An altercation broke out during the visit between Donald Trump's team, who were trying to take photos of the event, the cemetery administration, which is the final resting place of some 400,000 veterans and their families, and two U.S. presidents, including John Fitzgerald Kennedy, said Wednesday.

“Donald Trump chose to film a video there, which resulted in an altercation with cemetery staff. Let me be clear: The former president disrespected sacred ground, all for a political stunt,” the U.S. vice president said on X.

The Republican candidate’s entourage responded Wednesday by sharing a statement in which the soldiers’ families assured that the presence of photographers had indeed been “validated” by them.

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The US Army, in a rare clarification, confirmed Thursday that an Arlington employee had been “suddenly pushed” during Donald Trump’s visit, while she was trying to enforce a federal law prohibiting all political activity within the cemetery grounds.

A spokesperson for the US Army deplored “an unfortunate incident” and defended the “professionalism” of the cemetery employee.

“Simple duty and sacred”

Kamala Harris again criticized Donald Trump's attitude on Saturday, saying that the cemetery was “not a place to do politics.”

“If there is one thing we as Americans can agree on, it is that our veterans, military families and service members should be celebrated, never denigrated and treated with nothing less than our utmost respect and gratitude,” she wrote.

“It is my belief that a person who cannot fulfill this simple and sacred duty should never again” be president of the United States, the Democrat added.

Donald Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, responded Saturday, saying, “President Trump was there at the invitation of families whose loved ones lost their lives because of your incompetence.”

“Why don't you get off social media and go investigate these needless deaths ?,” the senator said on the X network.

Trump's team has been constantly criticizing Democrats over the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.

Asked Friday by MSNBC whether to post a campaign video in the cemetery, Donald Trump pleaded ignorance.

“I don't know who did it,” he said, accusing the Biden administration of “engineering” to create controversy.

During a rally Friday evening in Johnston, Pennsylvania, he again returned at length to incident, claiming that it was the families of the deceased soldiers who had asked him to take a photo with them.

“I said, 'Sure,' I wasn't doing it to get publicity that I don't need,” he said.

“Joe Biden killed these young men because he was incompetent and they come and tell me I'm using their graves for my PR, I didn't do any of that, and I'll tell you, it was an incident,” he added.