US Vice President Kamala Harris has criticized Republican rival Donald Trump over his visit to Arlington National Cemetery, which was later used in a campaign video. Reuters writes about it, UNN reports.
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“This is a sacred place where we honor American heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for this nation. This is not a place for politics,” Harris wrote in a post on social media site X.
Harris's remarks come five days after Trump attended a wreath-laying ceremony on Monday in honor of the 13 service members killed during the 2021 U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. He also visited Section 60 of the cemetery, which is considered sacred ground. Federal law and Pentagon policy prohibit political activity in this section, but the Trump campaign posted a video from the cemetery on TikTok.
Trump's visit has drawn criticism from some veterans and relatives of fallen soldiers. The US Army on Friday defended the cemetery employee who was suspended in Section 60, saying she acted professionally.
“Let's be honest: the former president disrespected sacred ground for a political stunt,” Harris wrote.
During a speech in Pennsylvania on Friday, Trump said that the families of the soldiers killed in Afghanistan asked him to visit Arlington National Cemetery. According to him, the families asked to take photos at the graves, and he agreed.
On Saturday, Trump posted a video on his Truth Social platform where relatives of seven of the 13 Afghanistan deaths defended his actions at the cemetery. Many of them asked Harris why she did not express her condolences.
Trump's vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance and press secretary Carolyn Levitt also responded to Harris's post, referring to the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and accusing her of indifference to the fallen soldiers.
Trump used the third anniversary of the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan to blame Vice President Harris for the chaotic withdrawal during Joe Biden's presidency.
Kamala Harris became the Democratic candidate in the November 5 election after Biden announced his withdrawal from the race in July. Harris's response to Trump's visit may provide a clue as to how she will discuss the topic during their debate on September 10.
“This is not the first time Trump has done this. This is a man who has called our fallen soldiers 'losers' and 'losers' and disrespected Medal of Honor winners,” Harris added.
It remains unclear whether these developments will affect veterans' voting. According to the Pew Research Center, an April report indicated that military veterans favor the Republican Party.
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