Earlier this week, two staff members from Donald Trump’s campaign reportedly got into a physical and verbal altercation with an official at Arlington National Cemetery. However, a Trump campaign spokesman has addressed the issue and denied the allegations against the team.
NPR reported that the former president was at the cemetery for the third anniversary of an attack on U.S. troops in Afghanistan during the 2021 withdrawal in which 13 U.S. service members lost their lives. The incident occurred when the cemetery official allegedly told Trump‘s staff not to film and photograph the section where casualties are buried, the outlet learned from a source. The Trump campaign member was reportedly stopped from entering the area known as Section 60, leading to the altercation.
The news outlet also received a statement from the Arlington National Cemetery. They confirmed there was an incident during the wreath-laying ceremony, and “a report was filed.”
Donald Trump’s staff shares evidence amid Arlington Cemetery accusations
Trump campaign’s spokesman, Steven Cheung, denied the claims of a physical altercation in a statement shared to NPR. He added that the team is “prepared to release footage” amid the “defamatory claims.” The Trump campaign’s spokesman then took to X (formerly Twitter) to address the accusations. “We were granted access to have a photographer there,” Cheung wrote. In the same post, the spokesman also shared a screenshot, noting that the former president was allowed to “have an official photographer and/or videographer outside of the main media pool.”
Cheung claimed in the statement shared to NPR that “a private photographer was permitted on the premises.” However, “an unnamed individual” went on to “physically block members of President Trump’s team” during the wreath-laying ceremony. Cheung even alleged that the individual was “suffering from a mental health episode.” However, despite saying they have footage to shut down the allegations, the Trump campaign has yet to release it.
