Arlington National Cemetery confirmed on Wednesday there had been an “incident” at the location, after the 78-year-old Republican presidential candidate’s visit on Monday.
After the visit to Arlington cemetery, Trump’s campaign posted a photo of the former president standing with the relatives and giving a thumbs-up gesture.
Arlington National Cemetery, just outside Washington, said “federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, to include photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate’s campaign.”
The cemetery “reinforced and widely shared this law and its prohibitions with all participants”, it said.
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Chinese retailers rush out souvenir T-shirts hours after Trump rally shooting
Chinese retailers rush out souvenir T-shirts hours after Trump rally shooting
Trump’s campaign co-manager Chris LaCivita issued a very different interpretation of the dispute, saying a “despicable individual” had blocked the former president’s team.
It is “a disgrace and does not deserve to represent the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery”, he said.
Trump also posted a statement on social media attributed to relatives of victims of the 2021 bombing, which said they had approved having Trump’s media team present.
The Abbey Gate suicide bombing at Kabul’s airport killed scores of local people and 13 American troops – the last US troops to die in the war.
The uproar over the Arlington incident is the latest in a long line of controversies over Trump’s relationship with the military.
While often touting his support for the armed forces, he privately mocked the war dead while president and did not want to be seen near military amputees, according to his former chief of staff.