Donald Trump visited the military cemetery in Arlington together with relatives of the bereaved. There was an incident with a cemetery employee – the US Army has now found clear words.
The US Army has criticized former President Donald Trump’s campaign team after an incident at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington. An employee of the military cemetery was “pushed away” when she tried to enforce a law banning political activities at the cemetery, a spokesman said on Thursday. “This incident was regrettable, and it is also regrettable that the (…) employee and her professionalism were unfairly attacked,” the spokesman added.
The US broadcaster NPR was the first to report on the incident, and Arlington National Cemetery later confirmed it. According to NPR, Trump’s staff had wanted to film and photograph in an area reserved for fallen soldiers – and where recording is prohibited. Trump’s campaign manager Chris LaCivita, for his part, had stated that a “despicable person” had blocked the presidential candidate’s team from entering. This person “does not deserve to represent the sacred ground of Arlington National Cemetery.”
Families asked Donald Trump to visit
Trump had visited the cemetery with relatives of US military personnel who were killed in the final hours of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. The former US president had been invited by the families to the wreath-laying ceremony. After the visit to the cemetery, Trump’s campaign team published photos of the ex-president with the families. In one photo, Trump is giving a thumbs up.
Trump has made criticism of US President Joe Biden’s handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan a key point in his campaign ahead of the presidential election in November. He argues that he would have handled the withdrawal of troops better. The withdrawal was part of an agreement that the then Trump administration reached with the Taliban in Doha in February 2020.
Trump’s controversial relationship with the US Army
The incident in Arlington follows a series of controversies surrounding Trump’s relationship with the military. While the former president often publicly expresses his support for the armed forces, according to his former chief of staff, he privately mocked war dead as president and did not want to be seen near soldiers with amputated limbs.
