Former President Donald Trump‘s estranged niece, Mary Trump, explained on Friday why people should “be shocked” by her uncle after his staff was reportedly in an altercation at Arlington National Cemetery earlier this week.
Trump, the GOP presidential nominee in November’s election, was invited to Arlington—the resting place of over 400,000 U.S. service members, veterans and their families—for a wreath-laying ceremony on Monday to honor the 13 service members killed during the Afghanistan War withdrawal in 2021. His invitation was given by some of the families of the deceased service members.
Amid reports of an altercation involving the former president’s staff during the visit, an Army spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday that participants in the wreath-laying ceremony and the subsequent visit to Section 60—the burial site for service members killed in Afghanistan and Iraq—”were made aware of federal laws, Army regulations and DOD policies, which clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds.”
Trump’s team reportedly tried to film and photograph Section 60, which would be in violation of federal law.
The spokesperson said that an Arlington employee “who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside,” adding that it was “unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked.” A police report was made, but the employee decided not to press charges.
The Trump campaign has denied receiving any warnings about taking photographs at the site and that a staffer pushed an Arlington official.
Mary Trump, who has been a fierce critic of her uncle, questioned why the Army wouldn’t press charges itself, writing in her Substack blog on Friday, “Why is the convicted felon allowed to commit more crimes with impunity?”
In late May, Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts relating to a hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election in regard to an alleged affair the two had in 2006. He has maintained his innocence and the affair, and is trying to overturn the jury’s verdict.
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“But let’s summon the will to be shocked, shall we?” Mary Trump wrote. “Let’s be shocked that the former Commander-in Chief is such a despicable narcissist that every interaction he has with service members is simply a means simultaneously to steal their honor while denigrating them.”
Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, told Newsweek via email on Saturday morning of Mary Trump, “Trump Derangement Syndrome is a serious issue and some people like her need to get checked out.”
Cheung also commented on the Arlington incident: “As the Army has said, they consider this matter closed. [Former] President Trump was there to support the Gold Star families and honor the sacrifices their loved ones made. Where was [Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee] Kamala Harris?”
Mary Trump noted in her blog post that Trump did not commemorate the anniversary of the service members’ deaths in 2022 or 2023.
Newsweek has reached out to Harris’ campaign and Mary Trump’s Substack account via email for comment on Saturday morning.
While Trump was not involved in the incident himself, Mary Trump described his team to be an extension of himself.
“Donald is a foppish, chubby overlord who relies on the unquestioning thuggery of the conscienceless jackals who comprise his inner circle and staff who exist to make him look tough,” Mary Trump wrote. “For him, ‘toughness’ means being an unrepentant asshole; people in his orbit simply follow his lead.”
Cheung previously told the Associated Press that the former president’s team was allowed to have a photographer and denied the claim that a campaign staffer pushed a cemetery official.
“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,” Cheung said.
Meanwhile, the former president shared a letter signed by five family members of two of the deceased service members that said, “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.”
In late August 2021, a suicide bomber attacked Kabul’s airport as U.S. troops and Afghans desperately tried to evacuate the country. Over 170 Afghans were killed alongside the 13 U.S. service members. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.
While the Pentagon concluded that the deaths at Kabul’s airport were not preventable, some blamed the Biden administration for a chaotic evacuation that should have started earlier than it did.