Mary Trump, the estranged niece of Donald Trump, has called for the U.S. Army to investigate his campaign team after a reported incident at Arlington National Cemetery. The former president attended a memorial event on August 26, which was meant to honor 13 U.S. service members who lost their lives in Afghanistan. According to reports, his staff allegedly clashed with a cemetery staff member who was trying to stop them from filming at a grave site.
Following the memorial, Trump’s campaign published a video on TikTok featuring footage from the event. Mary Trump, who often criticizes her uncle, expressed her outrage on her blog, stating that they were “desecrating the hallowed ground of Arlington.”
She urged Democrats to hold hearings and demanded that the Trump campaign release any videos related to the altercation. She emphasized that the Army, which oversees Arlington Cemetery, should investigate and take appropriate action.
John Bazemore, Mike Pesoli/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Military officials confirmed that filming a campaign video at Arlington is illegal, and the cemetery staff member involved chose not to pursue charges due to concerns about backlash from Trump’s supporters.
Mary Trump criticized her uncle for refusing to apologize and compounding the issue with lies. “He often avoids responsibility, and this time is no different,” she noted.
In response to the incident, Trump denied any altercation in a post on Truth Social, claiming it was a fabrication by his political opponents.
Despite backlash from various groups, including veterans and even former administration officials, Trump has maintained that he was merely fulfilling a request from the families of the fallen service members to take photographs during the memorial.
In a recent post, he thanked these families for their support and reiterated his stance, stating, “It was my great honor,” and promised he would “never forget” the day.