Trump says he ‘doesn’t need publicity’ while defending his Arlington National Cemetery photo op

JOHNSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA: GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Friday, August 30, that he "would like to get a lot less publicity" as he defended his photo opportunity at the graves of fallen soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery for which he was criticized.

Trump faced backlash for taking pictures and videos in a particular section of the cemetery where campaign activity is prohibited. A few members of Trump’s campaign staff reportedly "verbally abused and pushed" an employee of the cemetery who tried to enforce the rules after a wreath-laying ceremony, per the Daily Beast.

Trump on Monday, August 26, attended a wreath-laying ceremony dedicated to veterans killed and injured during the 2021 Kabul airport bombing, which occurred as the US military was pulling out of Afghanistan.

Donald Trump defends his photo op at Arlington National Cemetery

Donald Trump said during a rally in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, on Friday, "I wasn’t doing it. I don’t need publicity. I get a lot of publicity. I would like to get a lot less publicity. I would hire a public relations agent to get less publicity."

Notably, the US Army has reprimanded the Trump campaign, which has insisted it did not break the law. Trump said during the rally that the families of troops, martyred at the Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan, asked the former president to join them in Section 60 at their children’s graves after the ceremony.

He said, "They said to me, I mean, I’m not surprised, I never even thought about, 'Sir, would it be possible for you to have a picture with us by the tombstone of my son?' You know, the beautiful white tombstones, marble, beautiful, beautiful things."

Moreover, Trump took jibes at the White House for spreading the allegation that he took the photos for political gain.

He said, "Everything was nice. And then later on that day, I heard that we were using the graves of those soldiers for public relations purposes, and that was all put out by the White House. Joe Biden killed those young people because he was incompetent."

Donald Trump shares letter of support from soldiers' families

Donald Trump shared a letter of support on Truth Social from some of the families of martyred soldiers after his team's altercation with Arlington National Cemetery. 

The letter said Trump and his team "conducted themselves with nothing but the utmost respect and dignity for all of our service members".

The family members stated that they had given Trump's team approval to bring a campaign photographer and videographer into the event to ensure "these sacred moments of remembrance were respectfully captured".

"We are deeply grateful to the president for taking the time to honor our children and for standing alongside us in our grief, offering his unwavering support during such a difficult time," they wrote.

Internet trolls Donald Trump as he defends his photo op at Arlington Cemetery

Several social media users trolled Donald Trump as he said that he "would like to get a lot less publicity" while defending his photo opportunity at the graves of fallen soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

A user wrote on X, "We have to get rid of this cancer" while one added, "Dropping out of the race to serve time in prison would get him less publicity."

A person also stated, "Five ‘I’s in 2 short sentences. 5 times in a mere 26 words."

Another mentioned, "September 18th, he’ll have lots of publicity in the courthouse."

A user wrote, "What a contradiction. Yet he used it as a photo op. Disgusting", while one commented, "Desecrating graves to score poll points."

One comment read, "If he wants his privacy, he’ll get all he deserves in prison."

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