Kamala Harris criticized Donald Trump on Saturday for taking photos with Gold Star families from the botched Afghanistan withdrawal earlier this week, stating that she “will always honor the service and sacrifice of all of America’s fallen heroes.” However, the families involved have said that Harris has never personally reached out to them.
The parents of fallen service members, including Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, Sgt. Nicole Gee, and Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, stated that Harris has never contacted them. Fox News also reported that all the families have consistently stated that Harris has “never once reached out” to them.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Harris mentioned that she had the “privilege of visiting Arlington National Cemetery several times,” criticizing Trump’s team for filming a video there and alleging it led to “an altercation with cemetery staff.” However, multiple Gold Star family members present during the visit said they did not witness any such incident.
Harris accused Trump of “disrespecting sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt.” In response, the families explained that Trump and his team were invited to take photos. Cheryl Juels and Christy Shamblin, for instance, specifically wanted photos taken in Section 60, where Ryan Knauss is buried, because his parents could not attend that day. Section 60 is an area in Arlington National Cemetery primarily designated for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
An initial report from NPR, based on an anonymous source, claimed that there had been a “verbal and physical altercation” between Trump’s team and an official at Arlington National Cemetery when the team tried to access Section 60.
The U.S. Army released a statement on the alleged incident, noting that “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.” The statement added that “an ANC employee who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside.”
Families planning to visit Arlington told TPM that, despite some back-and-forth discussions leading up to the event, they had received permission for Trump to be present and for his designated media team to take photos.