With boost from grieving families, Trump sharpens attacks on Harris

The former president’s campaign aimed to turn the controversy over his actions at Arlington National Cemetery into an attack on the Biden administration’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal.


Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump joins Marlon Bateman, left, former Marine Cpl. Kelsee Lainhart and Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews on Aug. 26 at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery for a wreath-laying ceremony to honor those who died at the Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

By Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Dan Lamothe and Hannah Knowles
September 1, 2024 at 6:10 p.m. EDT

Donald Trump’s campaign aimed to turn the controversy over his actions last week at Arlington National Cemetery into an attack on Vice President Kamala Harris this weekend, after she said the former president “disrespected sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt.”

Late Saturday, the Trump campaign posted numerous videos in which family members of some of the 13 U.S. troops killed during a suicide bombing in the 2021 evacuation of Afghanistan accused President Joe Biden and Harris of killing their children by placing them in harm’s way. The bombing — which also killed about 170 Afghans — marked a low point for the Biden administration and has continued to haunt it politically as some of the families have aligned with Trump.

“Don’t forget, Kamala, you were the last one in the room. You and Joe Biden made the final decision on how to pull out of Afghanistan. You created the chaos and mayhem for the military to accomplish our goals,” said Darin Hoover, the father of Staff Sgt. Darin “Taylor” Hoover, in a video that Trump posted on X. Hoover defended the actions of Trump’s campaign team, and accused Harris of politicizing the commemoration.

The sparring stems from an incident on Aug. 26, when Trump and his staff defied requests from cemetery officials to avoid taking photos or videos among the gravestones, with the aim of adhering to a federal law that forbids campaign activities at military cemeteries. A female cemetery worker was “abruptly pushed aside” by male Trump aides as she sought to enforce the guidelines, cemetery officials said. … The campaign went on to post graveside photos and videos of the visit in the days afterward that included criticism of the Biden administration’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal.

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By Cleve R. Wootson Jr.
Cleve R. Wootson Jr. is a White House reporter for The Washington Post. Twitter

By Dan Lamothe
Dan Lamothe joined The Washington Post in 2014 to cover the U.S. military. He has written about the Armed Forces for more than 15 years, traveling extensively, embedding with five branches of service and covering combat in Afghanistan. Twitter

By Hannah Knowles
Hannah Knowles is a national politics reporter covering campaigns at The Washington Post. She previously reported for The Post's general assignment desk. Twitter