Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance sharply criticized Vice President Kamala Harris and staunchly defended former President Donald Trump's visit to Arlington National Cemetery, where he attended a memorial for the slain service members killed during the evacuation of Afghanistan three years ago.
The Daily Mail reported that during a Pennsylvania rally, J.D. Vance defended Trump’s Arlington visit and criticized media portrayal, escalating tensions with comments directed at Vice President Harris.
On Monday, former President Donald Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery to honor the 13 U.S. service members who died during the chaotic Afghanistan evacuation. Trump was at the event with an invitation from the Gold Star families of the slain soldiers.
The honoring turned contentious when Trump’s team reportedly clashed with a cemetery official who objected to the photography during the solemn event. Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump, alleged that an individual, suggested to have mental health issues, interrupted the ceremony by physically blocking the photography, though these claims added fuel to the growing dispute.
This led to further media scrutiny as opponents accused Trump of using the occasion for political gain, despite the fact that Trump was invited by the families of the deceased and his photographers were allowed on the grounds.
Two days later, at a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, J.D. Vance voiced his frustration with how events were being portrayed. He criticized the media and specifically targeted Vice President Kamala Harris for her oversight of military operations during the Afghan crisis, culminating in a harsh rebuke.
Vance expressed his disdain by stating, "To have those 13 Americans lose their lives and not fire a single person is disgraceful...Kamala Harris is so asleep at the wheel that she won’t even do an investigation into what happened but wants to yell at Donald Trump for showing up. She can go to hell!" His comments resonated with the crowd, evoking a mixture of cheers and boos directed at the media.
Further defending Trump's visit, Vance claimed that the families of the service members had specifically invited Trump, signifying their approval and contradicting claims of inappropriateness.
During Trump's visit, he was accompanied by retired Marine Cpl. Kelsee Lainhart, a survivor of the Abbey Gate bombing, as they both laid a wreath together. This act was supposed to symbolize respect and remembrance but was overshadowed by the ensuing media fallout.
Back at the rally, Vance's comments intensified the political debate around the accountability of military leadership and the respect due to fallen soldiers. He asserted, “That's not an insult to the memories of their loved ones, they wanted Donald Trump to be there, and thank God we have a president who wants to stand with our veterans instead of one who wants to run away from them.”
This stance was echoed by many of Trump's supporters who attended the ceremony, where chants of "U-S-A! U-S-A!" broke out, signaling strong partisan support for Trump's actions despite the controversy.
Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris was engaged in a completely different context, starting a bus tour across rural Georgia aimed at consolidating support for the upcoming elections. This geographical and thematic distance from the Arlington event further polarized public and media perceptions.
Harris, undeterred by the criticisms emanating from Pennsylvania, was scheduled to appear in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash the following Thursday, possibly to provide her perspective on this and other pressing national concerns.
The clash of these political engagements highlights the deep divisions in American politics, particularly in how leaders choose to honor fallen soldiers and how such acts are interpreted by the public and the media.
The merging of political careers and military honors at Arlington brought to light underlying tensions about respect, media influence, and the ongoing critiques from within various factions of the political spectrum.
Vance's emphatic defense of Trump and his critique of Vice President Harris encapsulated a broader discontent with current military and political leadership, reflecting a nation deeply divided on issues of national significance.
The situation at Arlington revealed not just a disagreement over protocol but deep-seated political and emotional divisions that span the breadth of American society.