During a visit to Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, two members of Donald Trump's campaign staff allegedly had a verbal and physical altercation with cemetery officials. Now, Trump's team is throwing pretty insane jabs, going so far as to calling [00:00:17] the cemetery staff mentally ill. That's not good. So let's break it down. What is this all about? What's happening? Well, first, I think it's kind of important to understand that this was part of a photo op. This was all meant to help bolster Donald Trump in his political campaigning. [00:00:35] NPR was actually the first to report on this, claiming last night that the conflict came about because Trump's campaign staff were illegally taking photos and videos in a restricted section of the cemetery, and they were there to specifically visit the, you know, visit the graves [00:00:54] of the 13 soldiers who were killed during the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Okay. So look, I think politically speaking, optically like going to do that visit looks good. [00:01:10] It's smart politics, but it's not smart when you break the law, actual federal laws and get into an altercation with cemetery staff and then start calling them mentally ill after the fact. So here's a quick summary of what allegedly happened. Trump and his staff were at the cemetery for a wreath laying ceremony [00:01:27] honoring 13 service members who died in an attack during the withdrawal of U.S. Troops from Afghanistan. As you said at some point during this ceremony, a cemetery official told the Trump campaign that no pictures could be taken in a specific section of the cemetery, which reportedly prompted backlash from these two Trump staffers. [00:01:46] In a statement to CBS news, the cemetery confirmed there was an incident and that federal law does prohibit campaign activities and photographers at the site. So we also now know that the Trump [00:02:02] campaign was warned ahead of time, okay, that they are not allowed to take photos or engage in Partizan campaigning while they are in this section of the Arlington National Cemetery, so his team knew ahead of time that was just reported by the Associated Press. [00:02:21] And so the official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter concerning Monday's events. And so a defense official told the Associated Press that the Trump campaign was warned about not taking photographs in section 60 before their arrival and the altercation. [00:02:38] And so also, let's get into what the federal law is. It is actually a federal law. Title 32, Code of Federal Regulations, says the following. Member memorial services and ceremonies at Army National Military cemeteries will [00:02:56] not include Partizan political activities. And guys, you can understand why that is. It's because you don't want like, there's something kind of sick in using fallen soldiers in such a brazen campaign opportunity or photo op. [00:03:13] It's just it's disrespectful. And that's the reason why it's a federal law like banning that kind of activity from happening. But Chris Lacivita, who's a top campaign adviser for Donald Trump, posted multiple videos to his X account of Trump at the ceremony, [00:03:30] which clearly means that he was in fact using that content for Partizan purposes for campaigning purposes. Here's a few examples to show you. Trump has also posted content on his own accounts, including this TikTok. [00:03:46] We lost 13 great, great people. What a horrible day it was. We didn't lose one person in 18 months and then they took over that disaster. [00:04:04] The leaving of Afghanistan. Hey, don't scroll away. Come back, come back. Because before the video continues, we just want to urge you to lend your support to tight you power our honest reporting. You do it at tight.com/team and we love you for it. [00:04:21] Okay so obviously that's for campaign purposes. Additionally, Trump was photographed smiling and giving a thumbs up at the graves of fallen Marines. And the Trump campaign hasn't denied all of this reporting. They do insist that there was no physical altercation. [00:04:39] In fact, his spokesperson called the cemetery staffer in question mentally ill. So let's go to the let's go to that statement. We were prepared to release footage if such defamatory, or we are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made. [00:04:56] The fact is that a private photographer was permitted on the premises and for whatever reason, an unknown, On an unnamed individual, clearly suffering from a mental health episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump's team [00:05:12] during a very solemn ceremony, and the campaign still has not provided that footage or that evidence. Chris Lacivita also added in a separate statement that the cemetery official was a disgrace and does not deserve to represent the hallowed grounds [00:05:28] of Arlington National Cemetery. And Trump also, of course, defended his actions by sharing a letter signed by six family members of two of the 13 slain service members. That letter read that the president and his team conducted themselves [00:05:44] with nothing but the utmost respect, ignoring what the federal law is, ignoring the warnings given by the State Department ahead of time. That's me adding it, not them. But I'll continue and dignity for all of our service members, especially our beloved children. [00:06:00] We had given our approval for President Trump's official Videographer and photographer to attend the event. In ensuring these sacred moments of remembrance were respectfully captured so we can cherish these memories forever. [00:06:16] But look, these are the family members of two of the 13 service members, and I look, I respect the way they feel about it. But there's still that law and they're not supposed to do it. And it was clearly meant as a campaign stop, as a photo op. [00:06:34] And I just think, like, look, if you're going to try to use this issue to help your campaign, I don't know how helpful it is when all of the reporting that comes out about it is about a potential physical altercation with cemetery staff [00:06:50] who are now being defamed as mentally ill. So, John, what are your thoughts? Yeah, it certainly doesn't make things better when you're just insulting the person who's desperately trying to get you to comply with with the rules, especially when you're waging a war against for legal challenges against you, like at the federal level alone and implying that they're all made up [00:07:07] and you're openly touting your ability to violate this law, too. Yeah. It's an absolute mess. I feel bad for the families, too. And those families are free to want him to do that. But again, we don't determine the rules just based on, like, a majority of families involved in the ceremony. [00:07:24] That's not how it works. I feel bad for them, for the experience that they had, that they lost family members. And I also feel bad for them that they're being used by this way, by a politician who doesn't give a damn about soldiers and never has. And and I also feel bad that in his campaigning, he is blatantly lying. [00:07:40] No, no soldiers died in 18 months. Absolute lie. There is no 18 month period of Donald Trump's presidency where we didn't lose soldiers in combat abroad. We lost soldiers literally every year that he was president. We lost, I believe, 65 soldiers in combat, 45 of them in Afghanistan. [00:07:57] So about four and a half of those, the thing that he was attending does he does he care about those people? Is he doing odes to the soldiers who died while he was a president. Is he remembering the soldier that died in his absolutely botched from the start raid [00:08:14] in Yemen when he first became president? Does he care about any of these things? Remember, this is the guy who talked to the grieving widow of one of those soldiers that died. I believe, in an operation in Africa. And the call ended with her enraged at him and him attacking her publicly as being irrational. [00:08:32] This is a guy who doesn't care about these people. They're at best props, and not even all soldiers get to be props for Donald Trump. If they're wounded or disabled, they don't get to be props because he thinks it makes them look bad. So the entire thing is just an absolute mess. He's a terrible guy, and I hate that he used his soldiers this way. [00:08:48] Yeah, I just think, look, bounds of reason. And again, if you think that this is if this visit, right for this solemn moment and ceremony is something that you're going to try to use for your own political purposes again, [00:09:06] if you're just going to brush off with the federal laws are and then engage in an altercation with cemetery staff. Well, then you're totally counterbalancing any positive coverage or press you're going to get from doing this campaign. Stop. And that is what this was. It was a campaign stop. This is what politicians do. [00:09:23] And so he is getting some backlash from a lot of people, including Republicans and veterans. And, you know, these are people who actually do care about doing the right thing. And I applaud them for that. And even Trump's former national defense secretary, Mark Esper, is now arguing [00:09:41] that the incident should be investigated. Look, I just I hope they just stop smearing the cemetery workers, like, leave them alone. You guys totally ignored what the rules were, what the law is, and did what you weren't supposed to do. Anyway. I'm pretty sure you guys are in the wrong here, so just let it go. [00:10:00] Thanks for watching. If you become a member, you get to watch all this ad free. Except for, of course, this ad still hit the join button below.