Donald Trump’s campaign has stated Gold Star military families who invited him to Arlington National Cemetery, defending the Republican presidential nominee against accusations from Vice President Kamala Harris.
Harris had criticised Trump’s visit as a “political stunt” that “disrespected sacred ground,” where many fallen service members from the Afghanistan war are buried.
This controversy is part of a broader dispute as Trump seeks to hold Harris accountable for the Biden administration’s handling of the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, which included a suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members.
Trump and some of the affected families have blamed Harris, as well as President Joe Biden, for the tragedy.
The families argue that Trump was honouring their loved ones during his visit, where he laid wreaths for Sergeant Nicole Gee, Staff Sergeant Darin Hoover, and Staff Sergeant Ryan Knauss.
These service members were among those killed in the August 26, 2021, bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport.
These service members were among those killed in the August 26, 2021, bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport.
Trump’s campaign distributed images of the visit despite the cemetery’s prohibition on partisan activity, and Trump expressed gratitude to the families through social media.
He emphasised that his visit was at their request, not his own.
Christy Shamblin, Gee’s mother-in-law, criticised Harris in a video message, questioning why Harris labelled her daughter-in-law’s death a success and accusing Harris of using the event to disparage the families.
Shamblin and others have previously supported Trump, including speaking at the Republican National Convention.
The Trump campaign’s visit sparked controversy with defense officials reporting that Trump’s team was warned against taking photographs, and an altercation reportedly occurred between Trump aides and a cemetery employee.
Despite claims of permission to record the event, Trump’s team has faced backlash from Pentagon officials, whom they have labelled as “hacks.”
Trump has focused on Harris’s role in foreign policy, particularly her statements about being the last person in the room before Biden made the withdrawal decision.
Both the Trump and Biden administrations have been criticised for the rapid collapse of Afghanistan’s military and the Taliban’s subsequent takeover.
As Trump campaigns, he has defended the withdrawal decision while condemning the Biden administration’s execution, asserting that his administration would have handled it with “dignity and strength.”
