Harris calls Trump's visit to Arlington cemetery disrespectful and a political stunt

(Patria) - U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris criticized Republican presidential rival Donald Trump for his visit to Arlington National Cemetery, which was later used in a campaign video, Reuters reported.

"This is a sacred place, a place where we gather to honor American heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to this nation. It is not a place for politics," Harris wrote on X.

Harris said this five days after Trump participated on Monday in a wreath-laying ceremony honoring 13 soldiers killed during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

He also visited Section 60 of the cemetery in Virginia, which the military considers sacred ground. Federal law and Pentagon policy do not allow political activities in that section, but Trump's campaign filmed videos and used them in ads as he battles Harris for the White House.

Trump's visit drew criticism from some veterans and relatives of soldiers. The U.S. Army on Friday defended the cemetery official who was pushed aside in Section 60, saying she acted professionally and was unfairly attacked.

"To be clear: the former president disrespected sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt," Harris wrote.

Trump's vice presidential pick JD Vance and press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to Harris's post and mentioned the withdrawal from Afghanistan, accusing Harris of being insensitive to the soldiers who died there.

"Why don't you get off social media and launch an investigation into their unnecessary deaths," Vance wrote.

Trump used the third anniversary on Monday of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan to try to pin the chaotic withdrawal under President Joe Biden on Vice President Harris. Her response to Trump's visit to the cemetery could offer a hint about how she might address the issue in their upcoming debate on September 10.

Harris referenced Trump's history of insulting military veterans.

"This is nothing new from Donald Trump. This is a man who called our fallen service members 'suckers' and 'losers' and disparaged Medal of Honor recipients," she wrote.

Trump has previously said that the late Senator John McCain, a former Republican presidential candidate, was not a war hero even though he spent years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam after being shot down as a pilot.

Trump called fallen World War I veterans "suckers" and "losers," according to his former White House chief of staff, John Kelly, a retired Marine general.

It is unclear whether such incidents will affect veteran voting. In an April report, the Pew Research Center found that military veterans favor the Republican Party.