Vice President Harris claimed that former President Trump “disrespected sacred ground” during a recent visit to Arlington National Cemetery, which resulted in an altercation between staff members.
in Long online postsHarris said she has had the opportunity to visit the cemetery, located just outside Washington, D.C., several times.
“This is a solemn place, a place where we come together to honor American heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” Harris said. “This is not a place for politics.”
“But as reported this week, Donald Trump's team chose to film a video there, which led to an altercation with cemetery officials. Let us be clear: the former president disrespected this sacred site for political stunts,” she continued.
Harris was referring to President Trump's Monday visit to Arlington National Cemetery, where more than 400,000 active-duty military, veterans and former military members are buried.
The former president was attending a wreath-laying ceremony marking the third anniversary of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and the attack at Kabul airport that killed 13 U.S. soldiers.
Clashes broke out between Trump's staff and cemetery officials when former President Trump's photographers and campaign team tried to enter the restricted area of Section 60. Trump's team allegedly shoved cemetery officials, and the Army defended them this week.
Trump has come under criticism for the altercation, as the cemetery has rules against politicizing or taking photos for political purposes.
Harris said it was “nothing new” for the man to “call fallen service members 'idiots' and 'losers' and disparage Medal of Honor recipients,” adding that Trump could not understand anything other than “serving himself.”
Other Democrats have seen the altercation as an opportunity to condemn Trump's past behavior toward military personnel, with Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., sending a letter to the Army on Friday demanding a full report and explanation of what happened.
“If there's one thing we can all agree on as Americans, it's that our veterans, our military families and our service members should be honored, never disrespected and treated with the utmost respect and gratitude,” Harris said.
Trump defended the incident at the cemetery, saying he wasn't seeking publicity by attending the ceremony. He claimed the White House had “spread the blame” and criticized President Biden over the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
In her post, Harris said she didn't think Trump should “stand behind the coat of arms” of the US president and said she would “always respect” the sacrifice and service of US troops.
“I mourn them, I respect them, and I will never politicize them,” she said.
The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
