Kamala Harris, the US Vice President, has slammed former President Donald Trump for a recent controversy surrounding his campaign at Arlington National Cemetery, stating that politics is not appropriate at the military burial site.
Last week, the US Army reported that a Trump staffer abruptly pushed aside an Arlington worker when they attempted to inform his team about the rules for filming in the cemetery.
Last Monday, Trump attended an event to commemorate the 13 US military service members who died during the chaotic American withdrawal from Afghanistan three years ago.
The cemetery’s account of events has been contested by the Trump campaign, who were invited by the families of those who were killed.
Kamala Harris wrote that Trump “disrespected sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt”.
Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, made her first comment on the controversy in a social media post on Monday, September 2, 2024.
She mentioned that she had visited the Virginia cemetery several times during her time as Vice-President, but she would never use it for political reasons.
“If there is one thing on which we as Americans can all agree, it is that our veterans, military families, and service members should be honoured, never disparaged, and treated with nothing less than our highest respect and gratitude,” Ms Harris said.
“And it is my belief that someone who cannot meet this simple, sacred duty should never again stand behind the seal of the President of the United States of America.”
Trump responded to those who had criticized him over the incident during a campaign rally in Michigan on Thursday.
He stated that the family of the soldiers who had been killed had asked him to pose for a photo at the site after the memorial.
“I go there, they ask me to have a picture and they say I was campaigning,” Trump said. “The one thing I get plenty of is publicity. I don’t need that. I don’t need the publicity.”
The Trump campaign announced a statement from the Gold Star military families on Sunday inviting him to the event, stating that the former president was present to commemorate the sacrifices made by his relatives who were killed.
They also took aim at Harris in the statement, saying she has “disgracefully twisted this sacred moment into a political ploy”.
JD Vance, running-mate of Trump, took advantage of the controversy to attack the Biden administration’s handling of the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, stating that Harris can “go to hell”.
“Three years ago, 13 brave, innocent Americans died, and they died because Kamala Harris refused to do her job,” Mr Vance said in response to questions from BBC’s US partner, CBS News.
Two members of Trump’s campaign staff were previously reported to have verbally abused and pushed aside a cemetery worker who attempted to intervene.
Federal law forbids the use of the cemetery for political campaigning, and the US Army stated that participants were given advance notice of the rules.
The Trump campaign has refuted the claim of a physical altercation at the cemetery, saying that we are ‘prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made’.
House Democrats have requested a report on the incident from the US Army, requesting a ‘complete account’ of what took place.
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