Harris calls Trump's appearance at Arlington a 'political stunt' that 'disrespected sacred ground'

Vice President Kamala Harris said former President Donald Trump “disrespected sacred ground” in his recent appearance at Arlington National Cemetery, where the Republican nominee took and distributed images despite a federal prohibition on campaign activity on the grounds.

Harris, in a statement posted Saturday on the social media platform X, cited reports that Trump's campaign aides created an altercation with a cemetery staffer and proceeded to take photographs and film the former president, including at the graves of Afghanistan war veterans, after being warned about rules at the site.

“Let me be clear: the former president disrespected sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt,” Harris said, calling Arlington a “solemn place where we come together to honor American heroes ... not a place for politics.”

The original incident stemmed from Trump’s and Republicans’ continued criticism of President Joe Biden and now Harris for the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. At the invitation of some family members of service members killed during the withdrawal, Trump laid wreaths last Monday in honor of Sgt. Nicole Gee, Staff Sgt. Darin Hoover and Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss. They were among 13 U.S. service members and more than 100 Afghans who died in an Aug. 26, 2021, bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport.