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Jimmy Williams
On Monday, an incident involving members of former President Donald Trump’s campaign and an official from Arlington National Cemetery occurred during a solemn wreath-laying ceremony. NPR has learned that the altercation took place in Section 60, a hallowed area where many of the most recent U.S. military casualties are interred.
According to a source with knowledge of the event, the altercation began when Arlington officials attempted to prevent Trump campaign staff from filming and photographing in Section 60. The cemetery had stipulated that only authorized cemetery personnel could capture images in this area, and that all political activities were strictly prohibited.
The source detailed that when the cemetery official tried to enforce this rule, members of Trump’s campaign allegedly responded with verbal abuse and physically pushed the official aside to gain access to the section. The incident reportedly escalated, although the Trump campaign has categorically denied the physical nature of the altercation.
“There was no physical altercation as described, and we are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made,” said Steven Cheung, the Trump campaign’s communications director, in a statement to NPR. Cheung further described the cemetery official as someone suffering from a “mental health episode” who had attempted to block Trump’s team during what he called a “very solemn ceremony.”
Arlington National Cemetery provided a contrasting account, emphasizing the strict federal laws that prohibit any political campaign-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries. “We can confirm there was an incident, and a report was filed,” stated a spokesperson for Arlington National Cemetery. They reiterated that these rules had been clearly communicated to all participants before the event.
The altercation occurred during a ceremony that marked the third anniversary of a deadly attack on U.S. troops in Afghanistan during the U.S. withdrawal, an event for which Trump has repeatedly blamed President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
As of now, the Trump campaign has declined to release any footage of the incident, leaving the public with conflicting narratives about what transpired at one of the nation’s most sacred sites. Arlington officials have not provided further details, citing the ongoing nature of the internal report.
