Two members of Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump‘s campaign staff have been accused of engaging in a “verbal and physical altercation” with an Arlington National Cemetery official during a visit by Trump this week, according to a report by American National Public Radio on Tuesday.
The incident reportedly occurred on Monday when Trump participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery to honour the 13 servicemembers who lost their lives during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.NPR cited an unnamed source who claimed that the confrontation began when a cemetery official attempted to prevent Trump’s campaign staff from filming and photographing in a restricted area where servicemembers are buried. The staff members allegedly “verbally abused and pushed the official aside”, as per Reuters news agency.

Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung refuted the allegations, saying, “There was no physical altercation as described and we are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made.” Cheung further said that a private photographer was allowed on the premises and that an “unnamed individual, clearly suffering from a mental health episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump’s team during a very solemn ceremony.”
Arlington National Cemetery confirmed in a statement that an incident had occurred and that a report was filed. The cemetery said that “federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, to include photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate’s campaign.”
Following the visit, Trump travelled to Detroit, where he blamed Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden for what he described as a “catastrophic” withdrawal from Afghanistan.