Former President Donald Trump has shared a letter of support from several families of soldiers killed in the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan, following allegations of an altercation involving his campaign team at Arlington National Cemetery.
The incident occurred during a visit on the third anniversary of the attack, where Trump paid tribute to the fallen service members. The letter, signed by six family members of the soldiers who lost their lives in Afghanistan, commended Trump and his team for conducting themselves with “nothing but the utmost respect and dignity for all of our service members.” The former president posted this statement on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday night, expressing gratitude for their support.
The incident in question arose after Arlington National Cemetery officials confirmed an “incident” during Trump’s visit. The cemetery, managed by the US Army, stressed that federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within military cemeteries, including photography and videography for campaign purposes. Despite this, the families mentioned in the letter stated that they had given Trump’s team prior approval to bring a photographer and videographer to respectfully capture the moment.
A report by NPR alleged that two Trump campaign officials engaged in a verbal and physical altercation with an Arlington Cemetery staff member after being asked not to take photos in Section 60, where many US service members are buried. However, Trump’s campaign communications director, Steven Cheung, denied any physical altercation, stating that the team had permission to have an official photographer present and was prepared to release footage to counter any defamatory claims.
Cheung further claimed that an unnamed individual attempted to physically block Trump’s team during the solemn ceremony, which he called “despicable.” Chris LaCivita, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign and a combat-wounded Marine, also defended the former president, emphasizing that the Gold Star families invited Trump to visit.
The controversy surrounding the incident has overshadowed the purpose of the visit, which was to honor the 13 American service members killed in the Abbey Gate bombing during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Trump’s visit included a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, followed by a private meeting with the families of the fallen soldiers.
With input from Newsweek , ABC News and the Washington Post
