Vice President Kamala Harris was slammed on Saturday for promoting a political attack against former President Donald Trump surrounding his recent visit to Arlington National Cemetery while repeating debunked lies and ignoring the reason that Trump was there.
“As vice president, I have had the privilege of visiting Arlington National Cemetery several times,” Harris, the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, said. “It is not a place for politics.”
“And yet, as was reported this week, Donald Trump’s team chose to film a video there, resulting in an altercation with cemetery staff,” she claimed. “Let me be clear: the former president disrespected sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt.”
She also repeated the false claim that Trump “called our fallen service members ‘suckers’ and ‘losers’ and disparaged Medal of Honor recipients.”
Nineteen officials, including 13 from Trump’s Paris trip, debunked the anonymous story that claimed Trump called soldiers “suckers” and “losers.”
Trump visited ANC this week to commemorate the lives of the 13 U.S. soldiers who were killed during an Islamic terrorist suicide bombing in 2021 during the Biden-Harris administration’s disastrous withdraw from Afghanistan, which Harris personally signed off on.
Harris received widespread backlash online for attacking Trump for honoring those who were killed under the command of the Biden-Harris administration.
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“Kamala Harris bragged about being the last person in the room with Joe Biden when they decided on their terrible Afghanistan withdrawal plan,” said Trump spokesperson Karoline Levitt. “Kamala’s stupidity led to one of the most embarrassing events in American history and 13 brave US soldiers being killed.”
“She has never said their names. She has never reached out to their families,” she added. “For this alone, Kamala does not deserve to be elected. Kamala has already proven that she would be a dangerously incompetent Commander in Chief.”
You are responsible for the deaths of the Abbey Gate 13.
You let in the murderers of Jocelyn Nungaray, Laken Riley and Rachel Morin.
You have trafficked more children into America than any person on earth.
You have never once met with the families of your victims.
HEARTLESS. https://t.co/TwFHiBiURe
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) August 31, 2024
The Biden-Harris campaign just two months ago used footage & images (some up-close) of U.S. military cemetery graves, of American flag-draped caskets, of gravestones of U.S. troops, & of a grieving woman on an American flag-draped casket to attack Trump.pic.twitter.com/VF1WEBB6Ld https://t.co/K4uMzfbRfu
— Jerry Dunleavy IV 🇺🇸 (@JerryDunleavy) August 31, 2024
You killed those troops you piece of shit https://t.co/fiyR5BUxr8
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) August 31, 2024
A sign of desperation.
She’s chasing 3 day old fake news headlines to try and make a point.
Meanwhile she has never once contacted the families of the 13 Abbey Gate heroes killed in August of 2021. https://t.co/auy83iuZPQ
— John Bachman (@JohnFBachman) August 31, 2024
That Kamala Harris is trying to get another day on this Trump/Arlington cemetery story – when the *only reason* these 13 families have to visit Arlington at all was because of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden’s disastrously bad leadership – shows how absurd this election is. https://t.co/b3P3g93NVa
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) August 31, 2024
Ma’am… where were you? https://t.co/4LqRMZB1p7
— Joey Jones (@Johnny_Joey) August 31, 2024
During his visit to ANC, the former president was joined by his photographer and videographer when an unnamed cemetery worker reportedly tried to “physically block” Trump’s team from accompanying him and stop them from filming and photographing in Section 60. The worker was reportedly brushed aside so Trump’s team could stay with him.
Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said that the cemetery worker was “clearly suffering from a mental health episode.”
Trump campaign co-manager Chris LaCivita, who was awarded a Purple Heart for injuries he sustained while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Gulf War in 1991, said that the cemetery worker was “a disgrace and does not deserve to represent the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.”
The altercation was reported to the police, but the cemetery worker did not press charges.
Cheung posted a statement that Trump’s team received from ANC about media guidance and rules surrounding the event, saying that Trump was allowed to have his media team with him.
“Only former President Trump may have an official photographer and/or videographer outside of the main media pool,” the statement said. “If any of the other attendees DVs would like to bring media, they must arrive at 7:00 a.m. and be incorporated into the press pool. We recommend against bringing additional media due to limited space available in the press pool.”
Furthermore, President Joe Biden, while serving as vice president in the Obama administration, had his media team with him while visiting ANC’s Section 60 in 2010. Biden subsequently used the footage in an advertisement for his 2020 presidential campaign.
Gold Star families who attended the event with Trump said in a statement that they gave Trump’s team permission to be with them as they visited Section 60 and to take photos and record video. They specifically mentioned that Trump and his team showed the highest level of respect to their fallen sons and daughters.
“We would like to express our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to President Donald J. Trump for his presence at the recent Section 60 gathering, honoring our children and their fallen brothers and sisters,” the families said in a statement. “On the three-year anniversary of the Abbey Gate bombing, the president and his team conducted themselves with nothing but the utmost respect and dignity for all of our Service members, especially our beloved children.”
“We had given our approval for President Trump’s official videographer and photographer to attend the event, ensuring these sacred moments of remembrance were respectfully captured and so we can cherish these memories forever,” they concluded. “We are deeply grateful to the president for taking the time to honor our children and for standing alongside us in our grief, offering his unwavering support during such a difficult time. His compassion and respect meant more than words can express.”
Biden did not attend the ceremony of the 13 American soldiers who were killed during his withdrawal — a withdrawal that Vice President Kamala Harris signed off on — and instead opted to go on vacation in Delaware.
Harris also did not attend the ceremony.
