(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) With leftist media outlets openly carrying water for Democrat nominee Kamala Harris ahead of the November election, a visit by President Donald Trump this week to meet with Gold Star families on the third anniversary of the Biden–Harris Afghanistan fiasco left many in the media seething over the positive optics it afforded the former president.
In response, far-left state-funded outlet NPR fabricated a story claiming that Trump had an altercation with the Arlington National Cemetery staff, Breitbart reported.
Trump visited the graves of fallen service members on Monday for a wreath-laying ceremony, held in honor of the 13 fallen service members who lost their lives in an August 2021 suicide bombing as military officials were attempting to airlift desparate Afghan citizens out of Kabul when the Taliban seized power following U.S. withdrawal.
NPR’s hit piece claimed that “[t]wo members of Donald Trump’s campaign staff had a verbal and physical altercation Monday with an official at Arlington National Cemetery.”
The dispute, it later clarified, had to do with an Arlington Cemetery staffer attempting to enforce a no-photo rule in a certain part of the cemetery.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung, however, dismissed the claim in a post on X.
We were granted access to have a photographer there. https://t.co/s2E9lNdksK pic.twitter.com/dXbZ03hwzB
— Steven Cheung (@TheStevenCheung) August 27, 2024
Cheung said that an “unnamed individual” had “decided to physically block members of President Trump’s team,” including the photographer, who had permission to be there.
According to Cheung, the Trump team has camera footage to back up their story.
“There was no physical altercation as described and we are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made,” he warned, adding that someone undergoing a “mental health episode” decided to “physically block members of President Trump’s team during a very solemn ceremony.”
The Trump campaign said it had received permission from the Gold Star families to attend the event with a photographer present, and even issued a letter of gratitude that the former President attended the ceremony.
Gold Star families defend Trump in Arlington controversy: “We had given our approval for President Trump's official videographer and photographer to attend the event, ensuring these sacred moments of remembrance were respectfully captured, and so we can cherish these memories… https://t.co/oCoWUUQLLs
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) August 28, 2024
Nonetheless, Cheung’s explanation did not stop NPR from claiming that Trump’s “campaign staff verbally abused and pushed the official aside” as he tried to enforce photography rules.”
NPR was duly mocked on Twitter for publishing fake news. One Twitter user called the event “sickening.”
My God. Spreading this debunked lie without checking with any of the Gold Star families. Shame on you. Sickening.
— Julie Gunlock (@JGunlock) August 28, 2024
