It is starkly obvious to those of us who have observed Donald Trump that ANYTHING Trump does is transactional, and that the obscene and disrespectful stunt he pulled on the hallowed grounds at ANC is no different from his other self-serving photo ops and fake concern for our military personnel.
Let's be crystal clear: Donald Trump does NOT honor our military men and women who serve, nor our military men and women "who gave their last full measure of devotion" to their country.
Donald Trump ridiculed the sacrifice of John McCain; Donald Trump called soldiers who were wounded or died for their country "losers and suckers," because, as he asked General John Kelly, his former Chief of Staff, "what's in it for them?"
Donald Trump told the wife of a fallen soldier who was killed in Niger in 2017, "He knew what he was getting into."
Donald Trump called General John Kelly a "low life with a very small brain and a very big mouth."
"Donald Trump added to his unfortunate record of disparaging military service two weeks ago when the former president said the Presidential Medal of Freedom was “much better” than the Medal of Honor — comments the Veterans of Foreign Wars, among others, described as 'asinine.' ”
Those who believe Trump has any respect for our fallen soldiers or for the men and women who serve their country are either deceiving themselves or they're fools.
I have never in my life heard such slanderous disrespect of our men and women who serve their country from someone who wants to be POTUS and Commander in Chief of our armed forces.
Trump’s team violated Arlington rules, shoved an employee aside, then lied about it. In any major country, this disgraceful act would end a campaign. Yet here, people fall for this con man and will vote for him, thus supporting his sickening disrespect for our men and women who serve.
"The US Army issued a stark rebuke of former President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign over the incident on Monday at Arlington National Cemetery, saying in a statement on Thursday that participants in the ceremony “were made aware of federal laws” regarding political activity at the cemetery, and “abruptly pushed aside” an employee of the cemetery.
“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. An ANC employee who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside,” the Army spokesperson said in the statement on Thursday.
Section 60 is an area in the cemetery largely reserved for the graves of those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked.
ANC is a national shrine to the honored dead of the Armed Forces, and its dedicated staff will continue to ensure public ceremonies are conducted with the dignity and respect the nation’s fallen deserve,” the statement said."
19 comments:
Rick Wilson
@TheRickWilson
"Trump must apologize and cease using the images and videos he illegally and inappropriately captured in Arlington’s Section 60.
The Trump staffers who abused the Arlington employee must be fired immediately.
None of this will come to pass, but I wanted to remind you what a better man, an honorable man, would do.
His contempt for veterans is boundless, his distance from service and sacrifice infinite.
This is one more proof Donald Trump lacks even the tiniest scintilla of decency, respect, and honor and his campaign, allies, and elected lackeys are following his vile lead."
Laying the wreath on the 3rd anniversary of the events is not a political statement unless someone turns it into one, like you are doing now. And then YOU become the politician, not DJT.
Absolutely disgusting. Trump has no respect even for what all Americans should revere the most. He turned the graves of the honorable dead into a sleazy photo-op.
I have read that the ANC employee who was shoved aside by his goons has declined to press criminal charges, because she worries that she would be hounded and bullied by his followers as so many others have been. A shameful reminder of what he has done to the social environment in this country.
Republicans and conservatives used to respect the military more than almost anything else. Watch them twist themselves into pretzels trying to justify or minimize their shabby idol's behavior here.
Joe C: The US Army does not share your view of this.
Of course, you're wrong again, JC. (Your link has nothing to do with Trump using Section 60 for a crass photo-op so he can pretend he cares about our fallen service men and women. PS. What kind of a clown gives a "thumbs-up" gesture at a grave site?
Also, we're quite used to seeing you come to the defense of the disgusting behavior of the former president. But this is truly indefensible.
Trump campaign was warned not to take photos at Arlington before altercation, defense official says
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s campaign was warned about not taking photographs before an altercation at Arlington National Cemetery during a wreath-laying ceremony earlier this week to honor service members killed in the Afghanistan War withdrawal, a defense official told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter concerning Monday’s events. It came a day after NPR reported, citing a source with knowledge of the incident, that two Trump campaign staff members “verbally abused and pushed” aside a cemetery official who tried to stop them from filming and photographing in Section 60, the burial site for military personnel killed while fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The defense official told the AP that the Trump campaign was warned about not taking photographs in Section 60 before their arrival and the altercation. Trump was at Arlington on Monday at the invitation of some of the families of the 13 service members who were killed in the Kabul airport bombing exactly three years prior.
[skip]
“Federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, to include photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate’s campaign,” the cemetery officials’ statement said. “Arlington National Cemetery reinforced and widely shared this law and its prohibitions with all participants. We can confirm there was an incident, and a report was filed.”
I brought this comment by Dave Miller to this comment section from Monday's post on this subject.
Dave Miller
I'm at a loss to understand what happened at Arlington. How anyone, let alone a president, could use the graves of fallen soldiers for a photo op is beyond me.
If we are to believe the Trump Campaign, all of the military officials are lying. The Pentagon is lying. The woman at the cemetary who was charged with telling the Trump Campaign they could not film in Section 60 of Arlington, is lying. The people who say the Trump Campaign filmed and took photos in Section 60, which is illegal and against the law and which the campaign has publicly shared, are lying. Despite the fact we've all seen the photos.
To really understand why what happened is troublesome, check out how Will Selber writing in the Bulwark puts it.
Unless of course, he, like all the people I listed above, is also lying.
How is it NOT a political event? I would be slightly convinced if trump visited on the first and second anniversaries, which he did NOT. Why now? Oh, that's right, he is running for a POLITICAL OFFICE!!!
“The Arlington Trump scandal spreads. According to reports. Speaker Mike Johnson pressured a reluctant Pentagon and Arlington staff to give Trump access to the hallowed grounds. After intense pressure from Johnson Arlington staff relented as long as Trump followed the rules. He did not follow the rules and illegally used the graves of fallen soldiers as a background for political ads. Trump was accompanied by Utah MAGA GOP Gov. Spencer Cox who has already used prohibited photos with himself, Trump and veterans gravestones in a fundraising e-mail. This is an outrageous breach of protocol by Johnson, Trump And whoever else decided to use dead hero’s graves as a political prop. I am beyond disgusted by this insult to all veterans. And to America.”
Will THIS be ENOUGH?
Likely not.
Joe "not a political statement" Con is liar defending another liar.
No shame. No honesty, No decency. No conscience.
These are MAGA "values" in service to their convicted criminal authoritarian leader.
Every one of them is the diametrical opposite of a patriot.
JC... the wreath was not the problem. The problem was the political theater, after they had been told by Army officials that it was not permitted.
Why did they just decide to ignore those rules and laws?
If he would have quietly done this, without the cameras, and had not shot video and publicized a sitre sacred to the US Military, there would have been no ruckus at all.
You tell us, for once taking a stand, in your own words, why Former President Trump and his campaign team decided to break the rules and laws of Arlington.
Proving once again, Trump has no basic decency.
JC... where's the video Trump and his ppl claim they have of the employee at Arlington assaulting them? Until you and other Trump defenders give us an answer, why should we even bother with you?
I'll even take a page from Dave Dubya and give you a couple of options to choose from...
1. Former President Trump and his team lied when they said they had video of the employee at Arlington assaulting them.
2. I don't care whether there is video or not. Trump is a disrupter and that's all I care about.
3. Tape schmape. Go MAGA. I just want to win.
4. Here's one of my cool videos you'll never watch.
I'm sure one of those options will fit your MO.
OK - I wasn't going to post as I was in the heat on Wednesday but then I read Joe Conservatives comment and followed their link. OH my.... yeah, it doesn't say what you think it says troll with the many names. LOL - the article is posted on the Army site, with photographs taken by Arlington Cemetery photographers. There are no identifiable headstones with the exception of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, all in stark contrast with Mr Trumps photo op with the smiles, thumbs up, and I've no idea what the hand signals from the family mean but still, weird. And there are identifiable headstones, leading to families beginning litigation for the violation of their deceased loved ones remains.
For someone who posts multitudes of links to prove they are a deep thinker all it took was this one post to prove they are more suited for the kiddy pool.
So when Biden laid a wreath and took pictures, it WASN'T politics...
**shakes head**
NO! And you know that ceremony was not the same thing that Trump did. You MAGA always come in with a comparison that isn't a comparison.
Joe Biden was NOT IN SECTION 60 WHERE PHOTOGRAPHS AND VIDEOS ARE NOT ALLOWED. Trump is a slime bucket who has no respect for those who gave their lives. Trump USED the fallen soldiers for his campaign, WHICH IS SPECIFICALLY ILLEGAL ACCORDING TO ANC.
You can bet your fallacious comparison that had Joe Biden broken any ANC laws, the MAGA universe would have come down on him quickly, loudly, and without mercy. Since Joe Biden did not do anything of the sort, your comment is typical MAGA bullshit!
It is your unfortunate destiny to keep making excuses for a swine.
The video that is circulating of Joe Biden was from 2010 when Biden was Vice President, NOT running for office and was part of the OFFICIAL Memorial Day ceremony. Nice try at gaslighting, but no cigar.
Joe Con tries to defend the indefensible actions of Trump and ends up being exposed as dishonest in posting that link.
For some reason Trumpism is so blinding that even when we have incontrovertible proof of Trump's dishonorable actions, Joe Con and his pals cannot bring themselves to rebuke him.
That is EXACTLY how a cult operates. Cultists will NEVER criticize their cult leader.
Shaw,
"It is your unfortunate destiny to keep making excuses for a swine."
Indeed.
Is it really a leap to suggest what sort of person constantly lies, defends, makes excuses, and deflects for a swine?
No shame. No honesty. No decency. No conscience. This is the way of all authoritarians.
Joe Con and every Trumpist is in league with every racist, white nationalist, and neo-Nazi. There's nothing patriotic about being, and serving, evil .
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