The cemetery is a revered resting place for American military personnel who died in war. As Donald Trump fell behind in the polls, he might have hoped to use this site to revive his political fortunes. However, it now has the potential to become his political downfall.
The former President’s visit to Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday, intended to honor the 13 US personnel killed in an Afghan suicide bombing on the tragedy's third anniversary, has sparked intense controversy. The visit has created a rift among military veterans and further polarized an already divided nation. While Trump campaign officials say he went there at the invitation of families of some of the fallen soldiers, and did something the incumbent President and vice-president could and should have done, many critics, including military veterans, say Trump was being opportunistic in using the anniversary as a photo-op to arrest his sliding election prospects, noting he did not go there in previous years.
Supporting their contention is word from cemetery officials that the Trump aides rode roughshod over their advice that the event not be politicized, and that there was an altercation over the issue when the former president arrived at the cemetery with a camera crew. A short video film and photos of a grinning Trump showing thumbs up sign released by his camp further enraged a veterans group, which said the "whole episode is sickening and affront to all those hundreds of thousands of families who never.