US Vice-President Kamala Harris condemned Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Saturday for his visit to Arlington National Cemetery, which was later featured in a campaign video. Harris emphasized that the cemetery is a solemn place meant for honoring American heroes who have given their lives for the nation, not for political purposes, in a post on X.
The vice-president's comments came five days after Trump participated in a wreath-laying ceremony on Monday to honor the 13 servicemembers killed during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. He also visited Section 60 of the Virginia cemetery, considered sacred by the military. Despite federal laws and Pentagon policies prohibiting political activities in this section, Trump's campaign shared a TikTok video featuring footage from the cemetery amid his tight race against Harris for the White House.
Trump's visit was met with criticism from some veterans and family members of soldiers. The US Army defended a cemetery employee who was pushed aside at Section 60, stating she acted professionally and was unjustly criticized. Harris stated, "The former president disrespected sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt."
During a speech in Pennsylvania on Friday, Trump mentioned that families of service members who died in Afghanistan had requested his visit to Arlington National Cemetery. He described the ceremony and taking photos at the graves. Trump responded on Saturday by posting videos on his Truth Social account, featuring relatives of at least seven of the 13 killed in the Afghanistan pullout defending his actions at the cemetery. Many directly addressed Harris, questioning her support for military families.
Trump's vice-presidential nominee, JD Vance, and press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Harris of being insensitive to the servicemembers who died in Afghanistan. Trump used the third anniversary of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan to attribute the chaotic pullout under President Joe Biden to his vice-president. Harris, 59, became the Democratic nominee in the November 5 presidential election after Biden, 81, withdrew from the race in July.
Harris's response to Trump's cemetery visit could indicate how she might address the issue in their September 10 debate. She referenced Trump's history of insulting military veterans, calling him out for referring to fallen service members as "suckers" and "losers" and disparaging Medal of Honour recipients. Trump once questioned the war hero status of the late Senator John McCain, despite his years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. According to his former White House chief of staff, John Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, Trump referred to fallen World War One veterans as "suckers" and "losers." Trump disputes this report, and it remains unclear whether such incidents will affect the veterans' vote. A Pew Research Centre report in April found that military veterans tend to favor the Republican Party.
