Former President Donald Trump’s visit to Arlington National Cemetery is devolving into a real PR problem for his campaign.
Trump visited the cemetery on Monday for an event to commemorate the third anniversary of the attack on US troops withdrawing from Afghanistan.
But his visit drew flak after the cemetery said that Trump staffers had filmed unauthorized sections of the burial grounds — and that Trump staff pushed a cemetery official who tried to stop the campaign from filming.
Arlington confirmed to BI on Wednesday that there was an “incident” at the cemetery, and “a report was filed.”
The US Army’s public affairs division also issued a statement on Thursday, defending the Arlington employee and reiterating its stance on how people should behave at the cemetery.
“Participants in the August 26th ceremony and the subsequent Section 60 visit were made aware of federal laws, Army regulations and DoD policies, which clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds,” read the Army’s statement.
“An ANC employee who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside,” the statement added, saying that the cemetery employee “acted with professionalism and avoided further disruption.”
“This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked. ANC is a national shrine to the honored dead of the Armed Forces, and its dedicated staff will continue to ensure public ceremonies are conducted with the dignity and respect the nation’s fallen deserve,” the statement said.
When asked about the incident in a Thursday interview with NBC News, Trump said that he didn’t know “what the rules and regulations are” and “who did it.”
“All of a sudden, I hear that somebody, that I have no idea who it is — got into an argument with somebody else at the cemetery about pictures being taken,” Trump told NBC of the incident. “I took them at the request of the families, and I’m very happy I did.”
A TikTok clip posted by the Trump campaign showed him laying a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and later laying a bouquet on the gravestone of a soldier in Section 60, where many troops who died in Iraq or Afghanistan are buried.
The family of one of the Green Berets buried in Section 60, Master Sergeant Andrew Marckesano, spoke out about Trump filming next to the grave, The New York Times reported.
Marckesano’s sister Michele told The Times that “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.”
“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.
The campaign denies wrongdoing
Trump’s campaign, like Trump, has denied any wrongdoing at the cemetery.
Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, said at a Wisconsin campaign event on Wednesday that the former president was at Arlington “providing emotional support to a lot of brave Americans who lost loved ones they never should have lost, and there happened to be a camera there, and somebody gave them permission to have that camera there.”
“You guys in the media, you’re acting like Donald Trump filmed a TV commercial at a gravesite,” Vance said.
Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, told BI on Tuesday: “There was no physical altercation as described, and we are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made.”
Responding to NBC’s queries about the Army’s claim that a cemetery official had been pushed, Cheung said: “False. Not even remotely true, and this person is a liar.”
“As someone who was there, this employee was the one who initiated physical contact that was unwarranted and unnecessary,” he said to NBC.
And Trump’s campaign manager, Chris LaCivita, posted a comment on X on Thursday, along with a video of Trump at the wreath-laying ceremony.
“Reposting this hoping to trigger the hacks at @SecArmy,” he wrote.
A representative for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.
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