Trump's cemetery visit sparks tension, divisive reactions
An event widely commented on by both sides of the political divide in the United States took place on Monday at Arlington National Cemetery. Former U.S. President Donald Trump paid a visit to the most significant necropolis for Americans. However, his staffers did not respect the site where veterans from all the wars in which the country participated are buried.
7:27 PM EDT, August 29, 2024
Donald Trump visited the cemetery on the third anniversary of the attack at Abbey Gate of Kabul's airport. During the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, 13 U.S. soldiers and 170 Afghans were killed.
Family members of the victims requested Trump to make this visit. The Department of Defense agreed to such an official visit by the politician but stipulated that, due to the upcoming elections, the ceremony should be non-campaign in nature.
Donald Trump and the scandal at the veterans' cemetery. USA divided
Trump's supporters and his staff were not allowed to use any campaign gadgets, flags, banners, hats, or slogans. There was also a specific warning—no cameras in the so-called section 60, where those fallen in the most recent conflicts are buried.
Media representatives complied with this requirement, allowing Trump to proceed to that area of the cemetery without journalists. However, the candidate's staff decided that their own photographer and cameraman could follow the politician.
A dispute occurred with a cemetery worker who reminded them of the rules. Then a man from Trump's staff pushed the woman. The politician's aides also verbally attacked her.
This incident is now being presented completely differently by Trump supporters and his opponents. Campaign spokesman Steven Cheung says the woman "has mental health issues" and promises to present recordings to prove that she was the attacker. So far, however, no recordings have been shown.
Trump's campaign co-chair Chris LaCivita, who was present in Arlington, described the cemetery representative as a "vile person." He argued that the woman "does not deserve to represent" the renowned necropolis.
Meanwhile, the attacked woman decided not to file a report with the prosecutor's office. She reported the incident to her superiors and fears persecution from Trump supporters.
As reports state, federal law prohibits holding campaign-related events on military cemetery grounds. U.S. soldiers are not allowed to officially, in uniform, participate in rallies supporting politicians.
Therefore, some families of the deceased are outraged by the videos from section 60 shared on Donald Trump's social media. Others have consented to showing their loved ones' headstones.
In an interview on CNN, Kamala Harris campaign spokesman Michael Tyler called the cemetery scandal "saddening." "Donald Trump wants everything to revolve around him. He is also someone who in the past has demeaned soldiers, those who sacrificed their lives for the country," commented Tyler.
