The U.S. Army has confirmed an incident during a wreath-laying ceremony involving **former President Donald Trump’s** staff and an official from **Arlington National Cemetery** (ANC). The event was held to honor the fallen servicemembers from the Afghanistan War, marking the anniversary of the **Kabul airport attack** in 2021.
According to an Army spokesperson, tensions arose when a cemetery employee attempted to enforce rules prohibiting political activities on the grounds. During the altercation, a staff member of Trump reportedly “abruptly pushed aside” the official. While military police were called to the scene, the woman who was pushed declined to press charges, leading the Army to consider the matter resolved. Despite this, the Army expressed support for the cemetery employee, stating she acted professionally to prevent further disruption.
Trump and his campaign have denied the altercation occurred, despite multiple witnesses contradicting this claim. The dispute reportedly began when the cemetery employee confronted a photographer who was taking pictures in **Section 60**, the area designated for graves of military personnel from Iraq and Afghanistan, which is strictly off-limits for political purposes.
Trump’s team claimed they were granted access to a photographer and that the visit was at the request of the families of those who died in the attack. The **Kabul airport bombing** resulted in the deaths of 13 American servicemembers and over 170 Afghans, and Trump has used the event to criticize the **Biden administration’s** handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Additionally, a video shared by Trump on **TikTok** features footage from the ceremony, with a voiceover reflecting on the tragedy while reiterating the false claim that no U.S. service members died during his presidency. This incident highlights the ongoing tensions surrounding the political implications of military events and commemorations.
At a rally in Michigan later that day, he told an audience of National Guard members and their families that the withdrawal was “the most embarrassing day in the history of our country” as he said it was “caused by Kamala Harris, Joe Biden.” He added that he believes it “set off the collapse of American credibility and respect all around the world.”
The Trump campaign also released photos of Trump standing by the graves of the fallen, giving a few thumbs-ups as relatives, specifically those of Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover and Sgt. Nicole Gee, pose near him.
The family of a decorated Green Beret whose grave appeared in several of the photos Trump’s team took issued a statement about Trump’s visit and said they support all the families who lost loved ones in the Kabul airport bombing but that they’re asking for understanding for concerns from relatives of other service members whose graves were near those Trump visited that day.
“We hope that those visiting this sacred site understand that these were real people who sacrificed for our freedom and that they are honored and respected accordingly,” the statement said. It was sent by the sister of Silver Star recipient Master Sgt. Andrew C. Marckesano on behalf of the family. Master Sgt. Marckesano was deployed overseas six times.
A defense official anonymously told The Associated Press that Trump and his team had been warned several times against taking photographs in Section 60 before they arrived and the photographer got into an altercation with the employee.
Steven Cheung, a Trump spokesperson, chalked the incident up to “a mental health episode” he said the employee had been suffering. In an outrageous statement, Cheung said, “The fact is that a private photographer was permitted on the premises and for whatever reason, an unnamed individual, clearly suffering from a mental health episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump’s team during a very solemn ceremony.”
Trump’s campaign later posted a message that was signed by the families of the two service members killed in the Kabul bombing whose graves Trump visited. It said that the former president and his team “conducted themselves with nothing but the utmost respect and dignity for all of our service members, especially our beloved children.”
But the bashing of the employee and comments about the incident didn’t stop there. Chris LaCivitia, a top Trump campaign adviser, emphasized the fact that Trump was at the cemetery at the invitation of the families of the slain service members as he called the employee “despicable” in a message containing spelling errors.