Trump walked the walk and Iraq war veteran Senator JD Vance (R-OH) blasted Kamala Harris for her campaign’s criticism of President Trump’s visit to Arlington National Cemetery on Saturday to mark the third anniversary of the Abbey Gate terror attack in Afghanistan family members of the fallen and survived.
Trump attended a three-wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for three service members killed in the attack and then joined families and survivors at Section 60 to honor the fallen at the cemetery.
There is no greater sacrifice than giving your life to defend our country. It is my privilege to stand with the family of Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover at Arlington National Cemetery today as we honor his legacy and the 12 others who died… pic.twitter.com/tR6dhpMYsB
– Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox (@GovCox) August 26, 2024
— Dan Scavino Jr. (@DanScavino) August 26, 2024
Speaking at a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, Vance responded to Harris, “But for those thirteen Americans to lose their lives and not burn a single person, it’s ridiculous. Kamala Harris is despicable. If we want to talk about the story of thirteen Americans who has no sin that died, so Kamala Harris is so asleep at the wheel, that she won’t investigate what happened but wants to shout at Donald Trump. She can, she can go to hell!”
.@JDVance: “For 13 Americans to lose their lives and not burn one person is despicable. Kamala Harris is despicable… Kamala Harris is so asleep at the wheel, she won’t do an investigation into what happened, but wants to give a shout out to Donald Trump for showing… pic.twitter.com/U5wVefvB05
– Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 28, 2024
TGP reported earlier on Wednesday how NPR reported that cemetery staff had a physical altercation with Trump campaign staff, trying to prevent them from taking photos and videos of Trump with his family and surviving Section 60, and that a report had been filed with Arlington Cemetery. . The Trump campaign said it had permission from Arlington Cemetery and that the family had a photographer. The media and the Harris campaign made the incident a national story to try to deflect the optics of Trump appearing in Arlington on Monday, while Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were on vacation and only released a written statement on the anniversary of the deadly attack. thirteen service members and more than one hundred and fifty Afghans when Biden withdraws from Afghanistan in August 2021.
Harris campaign spokesman Michael Tyler appeared on CNN Wednesday morning where he blasted Trump for visiting Arlington (CNBC quote):
Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign said a reported physical confrontation between a former campaign aide to President Donald Trump and an official at Arlington National Cemetery was “sad,” but “not surprising from the Trump team.”
“Listen, this is what we want from Donald Trump and his team,” Harris campaign spokesman Michael Tyler said in a CNN interview Wednesday. Arlington Cemetery confirmed late Tuesday that there had been an “incident,” and stated that federal law prohibits candidates and campaigns from conducting political campaign activities at national military cemeteries.
…”Donald Trump is someone who wants to make everything about Donald Trump. He’s also someone who has a history of belittling and belittling members of the military, who have made the ultimate sacrifice,” Tyler said Wednesday on CNN.
“I think that’s part of what the American people are rejecting when it comes to Donald Trump. They’re sick of his toxic brand of politics,” Tyler said.
“He’s sick of MAGA extremism, and he’s sick of people who, no matter what the issue, are frankly just trying to serve themselves instead of doing what they need to do as leaders, who are fighting for the American people.”
Trump campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita said Wednesday, “A nameless bureaucrat in Arlington whose job it is to preserve the dignity of the cemetery is doing the opposite of trying to make a very important and respected event into something it’s not.”
Speaking to NBC News, LaCivita also said that the Harris campaign and other Trump critics, by talking about the incident, “are trying to distract from the fact that there was only one commander in Arlington on August 26.”
LaCivita is a Gulf War Marine veteran who earned a Purple Heart.
A longer clip in which Vance said the ‘fight’ at Arlington was a media creation, noted that Trump had permission from Arlington Cemetery and his family to have photographers, and that a member of the cemetery’s staff disagreed with the media making it a national story. . Vance said veterans care more if Harris’ Minnesota running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), lied about his military service record.
Reporter: One, can you tell us more about the altercation that happened at Arlington Cemetery, um, and two, uh, what does the debate prep look like for you and for Trump at this point?
Vance: Well, I think first of all the altercation at Arlington Cemetery is the media making up a story that I really don’t think that.
there is one. There is verifiable evidence, there is verifiable evidence that the campaign was allowed to have photographers there. Something that can be verified, he was invited to have a photographer there. There is verifiable evidence that the poor man’s family
people who had loved ones die three years ago at Abbey Road (sic) they had, excuse me, Abbey Gate, thirteen Americans, many
he was there with the President, he invited him to be there and supported him. That is not an insult to the memory of a loved one. They want Donald Trump to be there and thank God we have a President who stands with veterans instead of running away from them. (Clap.)Vance: Now we (pause for applause), now, yeah, I mean, it’s amazing that you have people at Arlington Cemetery, some staff members disagree with other people and they’ve turned it around, the media has turned this into national news. You know what I think our veterans care more about VP candidate Kamala Harris lying about her military service. I think our veterans care more about this. And the other thing that our veterans are paying attention to, the other thing that our veterans are paying more attention to is that three years ago thirteen innocent Americans who were brave enough to die and they died because Kamala Harris refused to do her job and there hasn’t been
single investigation or single shooting. I, I don’t, I don’t, look, sometimes mistakes happen. That is the nature of the government, the nature of the military. But let these thirteen Americans lose their lives and not fire a single insolent man. Kamala Harris is despicable. If we’re going to talk about the story of thirteen innocent Americans who died, that’s it
Kamala Harris is so asleep at the wheel, she won’t do an investigation into what happened and she wants to yell at Donald Trump for showing up? He can go to hell!”
Transcribed by TGP.
Tuesday night the Trump campaign sent a copy of the permission slip from Arlington and a statement from his family:
Trump posted a TikTok video on Wednesday about his visit to Arlington that garnered more than six million views in a few hours and riled up his opponents:
6.2 million views of the Trump Campaign video on TikTok at Arlington National Cemetery pic.twitter.com/NfU6dd0Vh5
— Outspoken™️ (@Out5p0ken) August 28, 2024
