U.S. Army Criticizes Trump Campaign For Arlington Cemetery Incident

On Thursday, the U.S. Army sharply criticized former President Donald Trump‘s campaign for an incident at Arlington National Cemetary on Monday, stating that participants in the ceremony were informed of federal laws prohibiting political activity at the cemetery and that a cemetery employee was “abruptly pushed aside.”

“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 ANC employee who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside,” stated an Army spokesperson.

Section 60 of the cemetery is primarily reserved for the graves of those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked. ANC is a national shrine to the honored dead of the Armed Forces, and its dedicated staff will continue to ensure public ceremonies are conducted with the dignity and respect the nation’s fallen deserve,” the statement said.

The Army spokesperson added that although the incident was reported to the police at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, the employee chose not to press charges, so the Army now “considers the matter closed.”

The Army’s statement is a rare rebuke from a military branch that typically avoids involvement in political matters.

Trump visited the cemetery after a wreath-laying ceremony honoring the 13 U.S. service members killed three years ago at Kabul airport’s Abbey Gate in Afghanistan. 

A video posted by the Trump campaign on TikTok shows the former president walking through Arlington and visiting grave sites, while audio plays of him criticizing the Biden administration’s “disastrous” Afghanistan withdrawal.

Accounts of Monday’s incident differ, with the Trump campaign insisting no laws were broken, while cemetery officials said they were previously instructed to avoid political activity.

Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung denied any physical altercation, stating that an unnamed individual decided to “physically block members of President Trump’s team during a very solemn ceremony.”

Cheung suggested that Trump’s team has video evidence to back up the claim, though none has been released yet.

Conversely, Arlington National Cemetery stated that federal law prohibits political campaigns or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries.

The cemetery emphasized that it had “reinforced and widely shared this law and its prohibitions” with all participants, including “photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate’s campaign.”

Some veterans’ groups have criticized the Trump campaign for engaging in political activity in Arlington, one of the most hallowed burial grounds for U.S. service members.

Allison Jaslow, CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said in a statement that there are “plenty of places appropriate for politics — Arlington is not one of them.”

“Any aspiring elected official, especially one who hopes to be Commander in Chief, should not be confused about that fact. Nor should they hide behind members of our community to justify politicking on such sacred ground,” she added.