Former president Donald Trump meant well when he participated in a wreath laying ceremony to remember those who died during the catastrophic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. But what he didn’t anticipate was the string of controversy that followed when his staffers got into a confrontation with Arlington National Cemetery officials.
Following the solemn event—which was marred by an alleged physical and verbal incident between cemetery workers and campaign officials—Trump emphasized at a separate event that the “humiliation” from three years ago was caused by President Joe Biden and the current Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
The tragic attempt to pull troops out of Afghanistan three years ago resulted in 13 military members being killed in what many have argued was an avoidable disaster. Trump made the remarks criticizing his political opponents in a follow-up event hosted in Detroit, Michigan, where roughly 4,000 gathered—including members of the National Guard and their families—to remember the fallen.
The former president said that the Afghanistan withdrawal sparked a “collapse of American credibility and respect” that the country once had from the rest of the world. Trump expressed his agreement in the decision to pull out of the country but lamented that it was the “most embarrassing day” in American history rather than being conducted with “dignity and strength.”
The comments came amid ongoing controversy surrounding the campaign’s preceding visit to Arlington National Cemetery, where staff members reportedly clashed with cemetery officials. The incident took place on Monday August 26, the three-year anniversary of the Afghanistan withdrawal. In video recordings of the visit, Trump can be seen walking through grave sites and verbally criticizing the “disaster” of three years ago, which he once again claimed was caused by the Biden administration.
On Thursday, a spokesperson for the Army said that a cemetery official was “abruptly pushed aside” by a member of Trump’s campaign staff. However, the official—who was trying to ensure that participants in the ceremony were adhering to rules regarding photos and videos—decided not to press charges.
The Army noted in its statement that the worker had “acted with professionalism” and did not cause “further disruption.” Though the incident was reported to authorities, the Army is not concerned with the incident any further, considering the “matter closed.”