Donald Trump’s relationship with the army has lengthy spawned controversy.

Washington:

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris mentioned Saturday that her Republican rival Donald Trump “disrespected sacred floor” at a US army cemetery throughout a contentious pre-election go to.

Trump’s presence on the hallowed Arlington Nationwide Cemetery — meant to offer a marketing campaign enhance forward of the November 5 vote — has as an alternative mushroomed right into a public dispute consuming the candidates and the army.

“Let me be clear: the previous president disrespected sacred floor, all for the sake of a political stunt,” Harris mentioned of Monday’s incident on the cemetery close to Washington, the place Trump defied the principles and posed for photographs with family of US service members killed in Afghanistan.

In a single picture, he’s standing with relations of a fallen Marine, posing amongst headstones whereas grinning broadly and giving a thumbs-up.

“If there’s one factor on which we as People can all agree, it’s that our veterans, army households, and repair members ought to be honored, by no means disparaged, and handled with nothing lower than our highest respect and gratitude,” Harris wrote on X.

‘Abruptly pushed apart’

On Thursday, the US Military issued a uncommon assertion confirming {that a} cemetery workers member had been “abruptly pushed apart” after asking Trump’s workforce to cease filming in a burial part for these killed in latest wars, the place pictures for political functions is banned.

Trump’s marketing campaign workforce has gone on the offensive by describing the worker as a “despicable particular person” and claiming she was struggling a psychological well being episode.

However the army mentioned the workers member had “acted with professionalism” and it condemned the incident as “unlucky.”

Trump has made criticism of the Biden-Harris administration’s dealing with of the US retreat from Afghanistan a keynote of his marketing campaign, arguing that he would have managed it higher.

He visited the cemetery with households of among the 13 service members killed in a 2021 bombing in Kabul over the past, chaotic hours of the US withdrawal.

Trump’s relationship with the army has lengthy spawned controversy.

Whereas usually touting his assist for the armed forces, he privately mocked the struggle lifeless whereas he was president and didn’t wish to be seen close to army amputees, in line with his former chief of workers.

Harris’s blunt response Saturday over the cemetery incident appeared to underline her willpower to take the struggle on to Trump in what’s shaping as much as be a bruising presidential election.

Trump has repeatedly mocked Harris’s identify, intelligence, look and racial id, whereas the Harris marketing campaign has replied that the previous president is “bizarre,” an aspiring dictator, and “out of his thoughts.”

Harris earlier confronted withering criticism over the cemetery incident from Trump’s operating mate, Senator J.D. Vance, who has launched a sequence of fierce assaults towards the vice chairman.

Apparently responding to a mistaken report that Harris had already reacted to the cemetery go to, Vance accused her of feigning outrage and mentioned, “She will be able to go to hell.”

“Do not give attention to Donald Trump exhibiting as much as grieve with some individuals who misplaced their youngsters. Focus by yourself job. Do not do that pretend outrage factor,” he later instructed the Washington Publish.

At that time Harris had not publicly talked about the cemetery go to.

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