'This is new': Veterans highlight rarity of Army rebuke for Trump altercation at Arlington
Donald Trump and his campaign continue to experience backlash after the reported physical altercation with an Arlington National Cemetery official.
Trump welcomed the press to the wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Monday but didn't tell the press pool that he was headed to Section 60, where the altercation purportedly occurred. So, no media was on hand to observe the incident. The TikTok video showed photos of the wreath-laying from two different angles.
The Trump campaign told MSNBC on Wednesday that a video of the incident exists but refused to share it with him.
Read Also: Trump's far-right army is threatening bloodshed — believe them
The U.S. Army released a statement on Thursday shaming the campaign staffer who reportedly shoved the cemetery official, prompting a lot of response.
The military is infamously non-political, so the fact that they released a statement rebuking Trump's campaign without saying his name is notable, a national security reporter for Politico explained on X.
"This is new stuff," said Paul McLeary.
"It has to be noted how rare a statement like this from the Army is. I covered the Army for four years and not sure I can recall something similar," CNN Pentagon reporter Haley Britzky agreed.
Veteran Paul Rieckhoff commented, "It's now clearly the Trump campaign's word against the US ARMY. Who you gonna believe?"
Marine and former Wall Street Journal correspondent Ben Kesling explored the controversy to explain why what Trump did was so unacceptable.
"You can't have your photo crew take photos even if one family consents. That's because other graves are included in those photos. And those families haven't given permission," he said. "More importantly, grieving families shouldn't feel pressured by powerful people to give consent. Section 60 is noteworthy because the graves are those of troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. People visiting those graves aren't distant relatives. It's moms and dads and wives and husbands and kids and friends and fellow troops. The grief is still very present."
Military.com reporter Konstantin Toropin agreed with Kesling, saying that the controversy could be confusing. "Like with so many topics, the former President is testing and exposing rules or traditions that have long laid under the surface because no one felt the need to push those limits."
Some former military officials are still furious about Trump's behavior in general.
"This is no way for a government official or political candidate to conduct themselves on the sacred ground of Section 60 at Arlington. The final resting place of so many heroic Americans -- including some who died under my command -- is not a political prop," said retired Admiral James Stavridis, USN on X.
Trump's campaign still maintains that the altercation never took place.