Fallout from Trump’s Arlington National Cemetery visit continues after campaign video

Former President Donald Trump shared a TikTok video including footage from Arlington National Cemetery that likely violates a federal law against using military cemeteries for campaigning purposes. NPR previously reported Trump campaign staffers had a physical altercation with an Arlington National Cemetery staffer on Monday over the restriction.

It’s not the first time Trump has been accused of politicizing the military, but the campaign is seeking to downplay what happened in the aftermath.

Trump was at Arlington Monday to commemorate the third anniversary of an attack in Afghanistan that killed 13 U.S. servicemembers amidst the disastrous withdrawal of troops. Trump and other Republicans have blamed President Biden and Vice President Harris for the chaos and loss of life.

The 21-second video shows Trump laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and several snippets of Trump joining Gold Star family members at gravesites of their loved ones in a part of the cemetery known as Section 60.

“We lost 13 great great people, what a horrible day it was,” Trump says over somber music. “We didn’t lose one person in 18 months and then they took over the disaster, the leaving of Afghanistan.”

But the Trump campaign was not authorized to film or photograph in Section 60, federal law prohibits the use of military cemeteries for campaign events and two campaign staffers got in a physical and verbal altercation with the Arlington staffer that tried to prevent the filming.

In a statement after NPR’s original story, family members present Monday said they invited Trump and gave approval for his photographer and videographer to document an emotional moment of remembrance.

Some of those family members also spoke at the Republican