Deeper Look: The Trump Arlington Cemetery Fiasco and Why It Matters
Trump tried to go into the highly sensitive "Section 60" with a photographer
Reports about an altercation involving Trump’s campaign staff during his recent visit to Arlington National Cemetery left me a bit confused. After all, photographs are taken at Arlington regularly when presidents and others visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. So what, exactly, did team Trump try to do? Let’s take a deeper look.
The Facts of What Happened
Turns out, the key lies in where Trump went after the wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Trump and his team were not satisfied with that traditional gesture of honor and did not simply leave as other dignitaries do. Instead, Trump proceeded, with a campaign photographer in tow, to Section 60, a highly sensitive area known as the “saddest acre in America.” This section of the cemetery is the final resting place for many of those who died in recent conflicts, including service members killed during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, which Trump has repeatedly criticized as a failure of the Biden administration. He decided he had to go and be photographed precisely there—not just at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Arlington National Cemetery has strict rules against using the cemetery, particularly sensitive areas like Section 60, for political purposes, including campaign photography. Trump’s team claims they had persmission but they did not have permission to photograph in Section 60. Nonetheless, Trump’s team tried to bring a campaign photographer into this restricted zone. An employee said youcan’t do that — and the confrontation ensued. There are clear indications that the altercation included verbal and physical abuse directed at the official by Trump’s staff.
The “Suckers and Losers” Irony is Thick
Those are the acts. But think about it — the irony here is thick. Trump, who famously declined to visit a U.S. military cemetery in France in 2018, reportedly referring to the buried soldiers as “suckers” and “losers,” is now aggressively pushing into Arlington to make a show of honoring the very service members whose deaths he blames on Biden. This incident is another chapter in Trump’s fraught relationship with the military and veterans, marked by a pattern of disrespect and opportunism.
“Asinine” — The Medal of Honor Flap
Just a few weeks ago, Trump found himself in hot water for comments made during a speech in New Jersey, where he suggested that the civilian Presidential Medal of Freedom was “better” than the military’s Medal of Honor. This comparison was met with outrage, particularly from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), who called his remarks “asinine.” The fact that Trump has been criticized for denigrating military awards and then turned around to politicize a visit to Arlington is, frankly, more of the same asinine behavior.
Why “Asinine, the Sequel” is More Than Just a Misunderstanding
This latest incident isn’t just a misunderstanding—it’s emblematic of Trump’s ongoing struggle to grasp the fundamental concept of deep respect for the sacrifices made by members of the military, and the sensitivity around that issue. He just doesn’t getit. His decision to push into Section 60 with photographers in tow is consistent with all the other flaps around this issue that have followed him — and it shows a tone deaf, blatant disregard for the sanctity of the site and the rules that govern it. And it speaks volumes that, even after being called out for his inappropriate actions, the Trump campaign continues to defend its behavior rather than acknowledging the gravity of the situation.
A question that America’s tiny sliver of undecided voters should be asking isn’t just what happened at Arlington, but what this says about Trump’s character and his respect—or lack thereof—for those who serve. As the VFW put it, his actions continue to be nothing short of asinine, and this latest stunt at Arlington only reinforces that assessment.