Trump and Harris Clash Over Arlington Visit Amid Gold Star Family Messages

The debate surrounding Donald Trump’s recent visit to Arlington National Cemetery escalated over the weekend. His campaign released a statement and shared videos featuring Gold Star families who had gathered at the cemetery to commemorate the third anniversary of the deaths of 13 service members during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

In the statement issued on Sunday, these families, who have endured the loss of loved ones in military service, voiced their support for the former president. They accused Vice President Kamala Harris of politicizing the memory of fallen service members.

Some family members expressed their sentiments through video messages, which Trump shared on Truth Social. These messages conveyed that Trump was honoring their loved ones during his visit to Arlington.

However, Trump has faced significant criticism in the wake of his visit. Reports indicated that campaign staff members allegedly pushed aside a female worker and disrespected the memory of fallen soldiers and veterans’ families by capturing footage in a restricted area.

On Saturday, Harris condemned Trump’s actions, describing his visit as a “political stunt” that disrespected the solemn ground where many service members from the Afghanistan war are laid to rest. This criticism was fueled by images released by his campaign, which showed Trump giving a thumbs up near the graves of these soldiers, drawing attention to the prohibition of partisan activity on cemetery grounds.

President Joe Biden weighed in on the matter when asked by reporters, stating, “I don’t want to answer because I might tell you what I think.”

To shift focus from the backlash, Trump has intensified his rhetoric, aiming to associate Harris more closely with the Biden administration’s management of the U.S. exit from Afghanistan in 2021, which ended two decades of military engagement.

The tragic event on August 26, 2021, saw service members killed by a suicide bomber outside Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport. Trump and families of some of the victims hold both Biden and Harris accountable for the incident, particularly criticizing her reported statement about being the last person present before Biden made the withdrawal decision.

“President Trump was invited by us, the Gold Star families, to attend the solemn ceremonies commemorating the three-year anniversary of our children’s deaths,” the joint statement from the families read. “He was there to honor their sacrifice, yet Vice President Harris has disgracefully twisted this sacred moment into a political ploy.”

During his visit, Trump laid wreaths in memory of Sgt. Nicole Gee, Staff Sgt. Darin Hoover, and Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss.

He also thanked the families via social media and shared video testimonials from them: “Thank you for saying you wanted me to stand with you … and take pictures, that it was your request, not mine.”

Christy Shamblin, the mother-in-law of Sgt. Gee, shared her thoughts in a video message, asserting that Trump and his aides were “respectful” and a “comfort” during the somber gathering. She then directly addressed Harris, saying, “Why won’t you return a call and explain how you call my daughter-in-law’s death a success? Why would you take a day where we celebrated the deaths of our loved ones and use it to disparage not only them, but us?”

Shamblin was among several family members who spoke in support of Trump during the Republican National Convention in July and participated in a media conference call with Trump’s running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio.

In 2021, Biden and First Lady Jill Biden attended a ceremony at Dover Air Force Base to honor the return of the service members’ remains and met privately with their families.

Many of Trump’s allies also came to his defense on various Sunday talk shows. Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina remarked, “You know what really is unfortunate? That these families had to go visit their fallen loved ones at Arlington due to incompetence by the Biden administration.”

Trump’s visit has become controversial, particularly due to reports indicating that his campaign was warned against taking photographs at the cemetery. An altercation reportedly occurred between Trump’s aides and a cemetery employee who was trying to enforce the no filming policy.

While officials later stated that the employee, who was apparently “verbally abused and pushed” by two Trump staff members, has chosen not to press charges, the tension surrounding the incident remains palpable.

In response, the Trump campaign criticized Pentagon officials, with top adviser Chris LaCivita derogatorily referring to military spokespersons as “hacks,” insisting that the campaign had prior permission to film at Arlington.

The withdrawal from Afghanistan was a culmination of a commitment that the Trump administration made with the Taliban in 2020. A review conducted by a government-appointed special investigator in 2022 identified decisions by both Trump and Biden as key factors that led to the rapid collapse of Afghanistan’s military and the subsequent Taliban takeover.

Source: Associated Press