In a statement, Kamala Harris voiced her dissatisfaction with the decision made by her Republican presidential opponent to visit the graves of troops at Arlington National Cemetery, which was subsequently captured on campaign tape. As a form of reaction, Donald Trump distributed videos that featured the most poignant words from the relatives of dead service members.
Kamala Harris has expressed her disapproval of Donald Trump’s behaviour at a military cemetery, implying that he places his personal interests ahead of those of others.
During the mournful wreath-laying ceremony that took place on Monday, which coincided with the third anniversary of the pullout from Afghanistan, Mr. Trump did not waste any time in responding to the situation. He shared videos from the families of deceased soldiers that he had honoured during the ceremony.
They got into a heated argument when he entered Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery, which is a place of great reverence and where political activity is expressly illegal.
Nevertheless, subsequent to the dissemination of a TikTok video that featured footage from the cemetery, the campaign of Mr. Trump was met with opposition. There were several veterans and families of servicemen who voiced their disapproval of this.
Ms. Harris stated in a comprehensive post on X, “I must emphasise that the previous president showed a complete lack of respect for hallowed territory, all in the name of a political spectacle.” This statement was made in reference to the fact that the previous president.
“This individual seems to have a limited understanding of anything beyond their own self-interest.”
One of the employees at Section 60 Cemetery was involved in a confrontation with members of Mr. Trump’s team during an event that occurred there. The United States Army defended her, saying that she acted in a professional manner and that her punishment was unfair.
One of the employees at the cemetery in Virginia was reportedly quite concerned about making sure that everyone who attended the service was following the rules. This has been the subject of some discussion.
On Saturday night, Mr. Trump resorted to social media to distribute recordings of relatives of various people who had lost their lives as a result of the United States’ pullout from Afghanistan. His posts were a powerful reaction to the circumstances that had arisen.
Multiple individuals contacted Ms. Harris directly, expressing their view that they had invited Mr. Trump and challenging her professed support for military families. They also expressed their belief that they had invited Mr. Trump.
“I want to make it clear that there was absolutely no discussion of politics,” said Darin Hoover, the father of Staff Sergeant Taylor Hoover. “I want to make this clear.”
“Trump has been a constant presence since the very start.”
Jaclyn Schmitz, the heartbroken mother of Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz, voiced her sorrow by saying, “Our children were tragically lost as a result of the actions being taken by your administration.”
Sergeant Nicole Gee’s mother-in-law, Christy Shamblin, expressed her skepticism regarding Vice President Harris’ choice to not personally offer her condolences.
“Why haven’t we seen or heard anything from you?”
In order to defend himself, Mr. Trump stated that the families had directly requested his participation at the cemetery during a speech that he gave on Friday in Pennsylvania.
I arrived, and we had a ceremony,” he explained to reporters.
The families asked for a picture of him and requested that he be present at the graves.
“I said, ‘absolutely’, so I ended up capturing some interesting moments at the grave.”