MSNBC’s Morning Joe tore into former President Donald Trump following visit to Arlington National Cemetery that has sparked outrage among veterans. In addition to Trump’s awkward thumbs up photo on Monday it was later reported that two Trump campaign staffers got in a physical altercation with cemetery workers who tried to stop the candidate from using the occasion to attack his political rivals, arguing that it violates federal law.
“I know a lot of military veterans were very uncomfortable with the idea that Trump was there at all,” correspondent Jonathan Lemire, who was filling in for Joe Scarborough said Wednesday morning. “Some of these veterans were sort of just aghast that even in any way, shape, or form, our Arlington National Cemetery, arguably the most sacred place in our country, was being used as a backdrop for political purposes.”
“Is nothing sacred?” added contributor Mike Barnicle about Trump’s behavior at the ceremony. “That is sacred ground. And the idea that any candidate of any party would, intentionally or unintentionally, use that sacred ground as a prop for a political campaign is beyond condemnation.”
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Barnicle continued, “It’s terribly upsetting, obviously, to people who have buried loved ones in Arlington National Cemetery. It’s terribly upsetting to many veterans. It’s terribly upsetting to people who view it as a spectacle.”
Most importantly, Barnicle argued, “It ought to be terribly upsetting to any American who values what the military does for this country worldwide, and has done for this country for centuries, and will continue to do for this country.”
Lemire also noted that this scandal “comes just days after Trump suggested that a civilian medal, the Medal of Freedom, was better than the Medal of Honor, because the army soldiers who receive the Medal of Honor are often either killed or wounded.”
“And of course,” he continued, “we’ve been reminded of late how Trump used to refer to veterans, even deceased soldiers, as ‘suckers and losers,’ a comment confirmed by his own chief of staff.”
Amidst the backlash, Trump released a statement of support from family members of the Marines whose grave he was photographed smiling and giving the thumbs up this week. Campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung told The Daily Beast on Wednesday, “There was no physical altercation as described and we are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made.” He did not reply to requests for the footage.
