Vice President Kamala Harris is speaking out about former President Donald Trump and his campaign’s incident at Arlington National Cemetery last Monday.
In a post to social media, Harris condemned Trump and said he “disrespected sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt.”
“If there is one thing on which we as Americans can all agree, it is that our veterans, military families, and service members should be honored, never disparaged, and treated with nothing less than our highest respect and gratitude,” she said on X.
Harris went on to say that Trump should “never again stand behind the seal of the President of the United States of America” for his actions.
The incident Harris is referring to occurred on Monday when the U.S. Army said that a member of Trump’s team “abruptly pushed aside” a worker at the cemetery so that Trump and his campaign could take photos and videos with the families of service members who passed during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
The rules at Army National Military Cemeteries are dictated by federal law and prohibit any filming for partisan, political, or fundraising purposes, according to Arlington National Cemetery media policies.
The Trump campaign has said it was explicitly granted permission to bring “campaign designated media” to Section 60 of the cemetery by the Gold Star families present.
“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,” an Army spokesperson shared last week. “An ANC employee who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside. Consistent with the decorum expected at ANC, this employee acted with professionalism and avoided further disruption.”
Trump defended his actions on Thursday while speaking with NBC News, saying a family “asked me whether or not I would stand for a picture at the grave of their loved one who should not have died.”
The former president has also posted several videos on X responding to Harris. The videos are from eight family members of seven of the killed service members, all of whom criticized the comments from Harris and supported Trump.
“Kamala, we have been treated with the utmost respect, compassion, and understanding by President Trump, something you and Joe Biden have refused to do since August 26, 2021,” Darin Hoover, father of Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover,said while referring to the day of the attack.
Mark Schmitz, the father of Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, who was killed in the 2021 bombing of Abbey Gate, said the comments from Harris were “heinous, vile and disgusting.”
Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) shared a similar sentiment.
“President trump was there at the invitation of families whose loved ones died because of your incompetence. Why don’t you get off social media and go launch an investigation into their unnecessary deaths?” Vance wrote on X.
Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt also went after Harris, placing blame for the servicemembers’ deaths on her.
“Kamala’s stupidity led to one of the most embarrassing events in American history and 13 brave U.S. soldiers being killed,” Leavitt wrote. “For this alone, Kamala does not deserve to be elected. Kamala has already proven that she would be a dangerously incompetent Commander in Chief.”