Gold Star families who invited former President Donald Trump to Arlington National Cemetery defended him against accusations of politicizing fallen U.S. service members. The families insisted that Vice President Kamala Harris was the one politicizing the deaths of their loved ones, following a suicide bombing in Afghanistan in 2021 that killed 13 U.S. service members.
The families issued a joint statement, saying that Trump was invited to attend solemn ceremonies commemorating the anniversary of their children’s deaths and was there to honor their sacrifice. They accused Harris of twisting the sacred moment into a political ploy and disrespecting the fallen soldiers.
The controversy began when Harris criticized Trump’s visit to Arlington, calling it a “political stunt.” Trump had laid wreaths in honor of the service members killed in the bombing during his visit. Some family members of the fallen soldiers thanked Trump for his visit and said that he and his aides were respectful and a comfort.
Trump’s campaign has distributed images and videos of the visit, despite the cemetery’s prohibition on partisan activities on its grounds. The campaign has also criticized Pentagon officials for their handling of the situation and defended Trump’s actions.
The back-and-forth between Trump and Harris comes as Trump continues to criticize the Biden administration’s handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, which resulted in the Taliban taking over the country. Trump has focused on Harris’s statements regarding her role in foreign policy decisions and has said that while the decision to withdraw was the right one, the execution was poor under Biden’s leadership.
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