Vice President Kamala Harris criticized former President Donald Trump for his controversial visit to Arlington National Cemetery last week.
Trump visited the cemetery on August 26 for a memorial service marking the third anniversary of the attack on the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
However, his visit drew criticism after the cemetery announced that Trump staff had filmed parts of the gravesite that they did not have permission to record – and that Trump staff had harassed a cemetery official who wanted to stop the campaign team from filming.
The family of a deceased Green Beret who is buried on the site also expressed dissatisfaction with Trump’s filming near the soldier’s grave.
As Vice President, I have had the privilege of visiting Arlington National Cemetery several times. It is a solemn place; a place where we come together to honor American heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to this nation.
It is not a place for politics.
And…
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) 31 August 2024
Referring to the incident, Harris posted on X that Arlington is a “celebratory” place and “no place for politics.”
“And yet, as reported this week, Donald Trump’s team decided to shoot a video there, which led to an altercation with cemetery staff,” her post on Saturday said.
She added: “Let me be clear: The former president violated sacred ground, all because of a political ploy.”
In response to a request for comment, Trump spokesman Steven Cheung BI referred to an X post on Trump’s X campaign account called “Trump War Room.” The post was captioned: “A message to @KamalaHarris from Gold Star Families,”
Arlington issued a statement about the incident on Thursday.
“Participants in the Aug. 26 ceremony and subsequent Section 60 visit were made aware of federal law, Army regulations and Department of Defense policies that clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds,” the Army statement said.
“An ANC employee who attempted to enforce compliance with these rules was abruptly pushed aside,” the statement continued. The cemetery employee “acted professionally and avoided further disruption.”
Trump, on the other hand, insisted that he and his campaign team had done nothing wrong.
When asked about the incident in an interview with NBC News on Thursday, Trump said he did not know what “rules and regulations” apply to filming at the cemetery.
“All of a sudden I heard that someone – I don’t know who it is – had gotten into an argument with someone else at the cemetery because photos were being taken,” Trump said. “I took them at the request of the families and I’m very glad I did.”
His camp shared his feelings. His running mate, Senator JD Vance, said at a campaign rally in Wisconsin on Wednesday that Trump was at the cemetery to “provide emotional support to many brave Americans who have lost loved ones they should never have lost.”
“You people in the media, you act like Donald Trump shot a TV commercial at a grave,” Vance said said.
Trump’s campaign manager Chris LaCivita posted a comment on X on Thursday, along with a video of Trump laying the wreath.
“Reposting this in hopes of triggering the hackers at @SecArmy,” he wrote.
Representatives for Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside of regular business hours.
