DeSantis defends Trump’s visit to console Gold Star families: ‘He was invited’ – Washington Examiner
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has come to the defense of former President Donald Trump regarding his recent visit to Arlington National Cemetery, where Trump paid respects to the 13 servicemen killed during the 2021 Abbey Gate attack in Afghanistan. DeSantis responded to criticism from Vice President Kamala Harris, who accused Trump of disrespecting the cemetery for political purposes. DeSantis emphasized that Trump was invited by the Gold Star families, not merely showing up to make a scene.
Furthermore, DeSantis questioned the outrage directed at Trump rather than addressing the circumstances that led to the servicemen’s deaths, suggesting that it’s misguided to focus on Trump’s actions instead of the larger issue. Trump, in his own commentary via Truth Social, asserted that Harris and President Joe Biden are to blame for the deaths and criticized their absence during his visit on the anniversary of the tragedy. He dismissed accusations of conflict between his campaign staff and cemetery officials as fabricated.
DeSantis defends Trump’s visit to console Gold Star families: ‘He was invited’
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has joined those defending former President Donald Trump over his Arlington National Cemetery visit, during which he paid respect to the 13 servicemembers killed during the 2021 attack at Abbey Gate in Afghanistan.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, criticized Trump online for visiting the cemetery last week, claiming he “disrespected sacred ground” to perform a political stunt. Since then, the family members of the 13 servicemembers have released videos clarifying that they invited the former president to the cemetery. DeSantis is the latest person to defend Trump.
“And first of all, he was invited by the Gold Star families,” DeSantis said. “He didn’t just show up to make a scene, they invited him to be there. They asked him to pose for photos with the family members of the fallen.”
The Florida governor also questioned why Harris and others are more angry at Trump for consoling the Gold Star families than they are at the reason that their family members were killed in combat in the first place. He argued that “something is wrong” if people are more angry at Trump’s visit.
On Truth Social, Trump accused Harris and “Sleepy Joe” Biden of being responsible for the deaths of the 13 servicemembers and argued both should have been at the Arlington National Cemetery on Aug. 26, the three-year anniversary of the Abbey Gate attack. He also denied reports of a fight between his campaign staff and a cemetery official, calling it “a made up story by Comrade Kamala and her misinformation squad.”
Besides DeSantis, former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who endorsed Trump last week, also defended the former president’s cemetery visit, as he joined the Gold Star families to remember the sacrifices of their family members. She also said she did not see or hear about any kind of altercation until later when it became a national news story.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) has similarly defended Trump, citing how the families also invited Harris and President Joe Biden to join them. Cotton added that both Biden and Harris should have been in attendance, arguing that they were responsible for the 13 servicemembers’ deaths.
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