Michael Tyler, a spokesman for Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign, blasted former President Donald Trump and his team on CNN after two of Trump's staffers reportedly "verbally abused and pushed" an Arlington National Cemetery official who attempted to stop them from filming in an area with recent U.S. military casualties.
A defense official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity said the Trump campaign was warned about not taking photographs during a wreath-laying ceremony honoring U.S. military members killed in the 2021 Afghanistan War withdrawal.
The official’s statement followed an NPR report that two Trump campaign staff members "verbally abused and pushed" a cemetery official who attempted to stop them from filming and taking photos in Section 60, the burial site for military personnel who died in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Speaking on CNN, Tyler addressed the controversy, stressing Trump's history of disrespecting members of the U.S. military:
"Frankly, I think this episode is pretty sad when all is said and done. This is what we've come to expect from Donald Trump and his team."
"Donald Trump is a person who wants to make everything all about Donald Trump. He’s also somebody who has a history of demeaning and degrading military service members, those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. We know that he's called them 'suckers and losers' and belittled the Medal of Honor, so frankly, while sad, it's unsurprising coming from the Trump team."
“I think it’s part of what the American people have come to reject when it comes to Donald Trump. They’re sick of the toxic brand of politics."
“They’re sick of the MAGA extremism, and they’re sick of a person who, no matter what the issue is, is frankly just trying to serve himself rather than doing what one should be doing as a leader, which is fighting for the American people.”
"That's exactly what Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are going to be doing for the remainder of this campaign and once they get back into the Oval Office for the next four years."
You can hear what he said in the video below.
CNN interviews Harris-Walz campaign spokesman claiming there was an incident at Arlington National cemetery and repeats the lie that Trump called veterans suckers and losers.
These people are shameless liars. pic.twitter.com/ed6mO9l1Z9
— 3sidedstory 🇺🇲 (@3sidedstory) August 28, 2024
Many have echoed his criticisms.
Trump has a history of disrespecting members of the military, particularly, as he put it, the "suckers and losers" who die in combat.
A 2020 report from The Atlantic revealed that Trump canceled a visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018. At the time, four individuals with direct knowledge of the situation said that Trump declined the visit due to concerns about his hair being affected by the rain and a lack of importance placed on honoring American war dead.
During discussions with senior staff members on the morning of the planned visit, Trump questioned the necessity of visiting the cemetery, referring to it as "filled with losers." Additionally, on the same trip, he reportedly referred to the over 1,800 marines who perished at Belleau Wood as "suckers" for losing their lives.
Trump made headlines this month for claiming the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, is actually "better" than the Congressional Medal of Honor, which is the highest military honor, since civilians don't have to die or be wounded to receive it.
In fact, Trump said the Presidential Medal of Freedom he gave to billionaire donor Miriam Adelson is "much better" than the Congressional Medal of Honor given to wounded or dead members of the U.S. military, a statement that betrayed his own self interest.
Adelson is estimated to be the fifth richest woman in America with a net worth of $27.7 billion. She and her late husband, Sheldon Adelson, were Trump’s most significant financial supporters during his presidency. They made the largest contributions to his 2016 campaign, his presidential inauguration, his defense fund during the Mueller investigation into Russian interference, and his 2020 campaign.
