Sununu: Arlington National Cemetery spat won't hurt Trump
(NewsNation) — A reported altercation between Donald Trump's campaign staff and an Arlington National Cemetery official isn’t likely to sway voters in November, GOP New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu said.
"Trump is very unique in that respect because he's connecting with people on a gut level of fighting. They want a fighter," Sununu said during his Thursday appearance on “NewsNation Now." "They're willing to forgive all this other stuff because he's willing to fight and disrupt."
The Republican presidential nominee visited the cemetery Monday to honor 13 service members who died during the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Two of Trump’s staff members had a “verbal and physical altercation” with a cemetery official who tried to prevent them from filming and taking photos in an area where service members are buried, an unnamed source told NPR earlier this week. Federal law bars campaign or election-related activities within Army national military cemeteries.
“Participants in the August 26th ceremony and the subsequent Section 60 visit were made aware of federal laws, Army regulations and DoD policies, which clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds,” the U.S. Army said in an official statement.
Accounts of the visit vary. Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung disputed the report and said his team is “prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made.” Meanwhile, the Arlington National Cemetery issued a statement confirming the incident happened and said a report was filed.
A cemetery staffer chose not to press charges, the AP reported.
Regardless, Sununu doubts the reported altercation will hurt Trump’s campaign. Personal, military-related messaging hasn’t often been an effective offensive strategy so far in the 2024 campaign cycle, he said.
“You have to respect that every American may have different priorities and different things that are breaking points,” Sununu said. “If there’s an issue at the Arlington cemetery, that’s a breaking point for someone — OK. I just don’t think there’s a lot of them.”
Trump has been working to tie his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, to the Afghanistan War withdrawal as the election draws near. The suicide bombing at the Kabul airport, which killed 13 American service members and more than 170 Afghans on Aug. 26, 2021, was one of the lowest points of the Biden administration and followed a withdrawal commitment and timeline that the Trump administration had negotiated with the Taliban the previous year.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.