Gold Star family members, whose loved ones died during the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal, have come forward to defend Donald Trump and his media team after photos were taken during a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday. The families had explicitly requested that photos and videos be taken at Section 60, where the ceremony for their deceased children was held.
Reports from the Daily Caller, citing a source involved in planning the ceremony, revealed that despite the families’ requests, Arlington officials later claimed that the families did not want any photos taken at the event. This claim came amidst a media controversy fueled by an NPR report that quoted an anonymous source making allegations about the ceremony.
NPR’s report stated that Arlington officials had made it clear that only cemetery staff were authorized to take photos or videos in Section 60, a claim that multiple Gold Star family members disputed. Cheryl Juels, the aunt of Sgt. Nicole Gee, countered NPR’s report, stating that Arlington had agreed to allow Trump’s media team to take photos. “We wanted to have a recording of this. And we definitely agreed to have Arlington photographers and videographers there. We also agreed, if Trump had his own people there, we agreed to that as well,” Juels said.
Darin Hoover, the father of Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, also supported this version of events, stating that the families had invited Trump’s media team to document the ceremony. Hoover criticized NPR’s reporting, calling it “blatant lies” and emphasized that Trump had been invited by the families, not the other way around.
Kelly Barnett, Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover’s mother, reiterated that the families had invited Trump’s media team and that this had been the agreement. “That’s probably what they [Arlington] wanted, but that’s not what was agreed to,” she noted, adding that none of the family members had their phones out because they trusted the event would be documented.
Barnett further mentioned that an Arlington Cemetery official, who was present with Trump at the beginning of the ceremony, had spoken with her and Juels on Sunday during the event planning. Barnett and Juels had expressed their desire for photos, particularly because the mother of Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, Paula, could not attend, and they wanted to ensure good pictures for her.
Barnett expressed frustration over the media’s portrayal of the event, stating, “It’s a very political move by cold-blooded people who would actually use our children…to use it as a political issue that they want to bring up, that’s very offensive to me.” She added that Trump and his media team were simply trying to do something kind by recording the ceremony for the families.