Donald Trump posted a campaign video to TikTok showing him visiting Arlington National Cemetery two days after some of his aides and staff on the grounds had a reported physical altercation about taking photographs and video on the premises.
The video shows Trump visiting graves, posing for photos with Gold Star families and participating in the wreath-laying ceremony in what appears to be Section 60 of the cemetery ― a space reserved for recently buried soldiers. The visit was held to mark the third anniversary of an attack on American troops during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Trump makes a clear political statement in the video, which plays audio of him boasting that his administration “didn’t lose one person in 18 months” in Afghanistan but that pulling out the troops was a “disaster” that resulted in 13 soldiers’ deaths under Joe Biden’s administration. The video caption reads: “Should have never happened.”
Details of Monday’s alleged altercation were first reported by NPR, which cited a source saying that two Trump campaign staffers “verbally abused and pushed the [cemetery] official aside” after the cemetery staff informed the campaign that only cemetery officials are allowed to take photos or video in Section 60.
Arlington National Cemetery later confirmed that an “incident” occurred and a report had been filed.
“Federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, to include photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate’s campaign,” the cemetery, which is maintained by the U.S. Army, said in a statement. “Arlington National Cemetery reinforced and widely shared this law and its prohibitions with all participants.”
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told NPR “there was no physical altercation as described, and we are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made.”
“The fact is that a private photographer was permitted on the premises and for whatever reason an unnamed individual, clearly suffering from a mental health episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump’s team during a very solemn ceremony,” he continued.
Trump has yet to issue his own statement on the controversy.
The family of the late Master Sgt. Andrew Marckesano, a Green Beret who died by suicide after serving several combat tours and suffering post-traumatic stress disorder, also spoke out Wednesday about Trump’s cemetery visit, saying they were upset about him filming near his grave.
“According to our conversation with Arlington National Cemetery, the Trump campaign staffers did not adhere to the rules that were set in place for this visit to Staff Sergeant Hoover’s gravesite in Section 60, which lays directly next to my brother’s grave,” Marckesano’s sister Michele told The New York Times.
“We hope that those visiting this sacred site understand that these were real people who sacrificed for our freedom and that they are honored and respected accordingly,” she added.
