Trump: “I’m the Only One Who Wants to Be Less Famous”
Former President Donald Trump stated that he was already very well-known and didn’t need to seek attention, responding to accusations from the U.S. military that he visited Arlington National Cemetery merely for publicity.
“I didn’t do it for attention. I’m already very famous,” Trump said during a campaign event in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, on August 30th. “I’m the only person who would hire a public relations firm just to be less famous.”
He then criticized President Joe Biden, saying, “Joe Biden caused the deaths of these young people because of his incompetence. And then they accuse me of using the graves of soldiers for publicity, but that’s not true.”
Trump’s comments came after the U.S. military on August 29th criticized his campaign for turning a memorial event at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia earlier that week into a photo opportunity for political purposes.
Two campaign staff members reportedly argued with and shoved a cemetery official when asked to refrain from taking photos near the graves, as per cemetery regulations.
From the standpoint of Trump, he was invited to the memorial event at Arlington by the families of 13 U.S. soldiers who were killed in a suicide bombing at Kabul Airport in 2021 during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
After laying a wreath, the families asked him to join them in visiting the graves and taking photos. Trump stood with the group, giving a thumbs-up and smiling amid the graves of the fallen soldiers.
However, Arlington National Cemetery regulations state that family members do not have the authority to permit others to take photos in restricted areas.
Trump also visited Section 60 of the cemetery, considered a sacred area for the military.
The U.S. Army, which manages the cemetery, later issued a statement confirming that a cemetery employee was “roughly shoved” during an argument with one of Trump’s aides about taking photos near the graves.
Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump’s campaign, previously denied any altercation took place and stated they were ready to release footage from cameras if defamatory claims continued.
Arlington National Cemetery confirmed the incident and submitted a report.
“Federal law prohibits conducting politically-related or campaign activities within the grounds of national military cemeteries,” Arlington National Cemetery announced. However, the management did not respond to requests for clarification on why Trump’s campaign was allowed to visit the cemetery.
