Kamala Harris and Donald Trump traded barbs on Saturday over the former president’s choice to film a campaign ad at Arlington National Cemetery.
The vice president said that Trump “disrespected sacred ground” when his campaign chose to film a TikTok in Section 60, the portion of the military cemetery that holds recent American war dead.
“I have had the privilege of visiting Arlington National Cemetery several times. It is a solemn place; a place where we come together to honor American heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of this nation,” Harris shared on X. “It is not a place for politics.”
In a statement, the Army said they warned Trump staffers about federal laws that prohibit any partisan activity on Army installations. NPR reported that one cemetery staffer was pushed aside when she attempted to stop the Trump campaign from filming during their visit on August 26.
In her response to the incident, Harris said she was not surprised that Trump’s team disregarded the prohibitions on filming to make a promo.
“This is a man who is unable to comprehend anything other than service to himself,” she wrote.
Trump responded to Harris’ statement with a series of testimonials from parents of Marines who were killed in a bombing of Kabul’s airport during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. (The ceremony on August 26 that Trump was attending was honoring the service members who died in the attack.) At points, the videos shared to Truth Social blame those deaths on the current presidential administration.
“Our kids were murdered because of your administration, and you are partly to blame,” Jaclyn Schmitz, mother of late Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, said in one clip.
Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover’s father Darin Hoover shared that his family “asked the Trump team to take the videos” and that the event was “solemn” and respectful.