2 months ago
12
Mary Trump
, estranged niece of former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Friday condemned her uncle’s behavior in light of reports about an altercation involving his staff at
Arlington National Cemetery
earlier this week.
On August 26, Donald
Trump
attended a
wreath-laying ceremony
at Arlington, honoring 13 service members killed during the Afghanistan war withdrawal.
Trump's staff allegedly tried to film and photograph
Section 60
, which is prohibited by federal law. An Arlington employee was reportedly pushed aside while trying to enforce this rule, but no charges were filed despite a police report.
Mary Trump criticised the lack of legal consequences, writing on her Substack blog, as quoted by Newsweek, "Why is the convicted felon allowed to commit more crimes with impunity?" She also accused her uncle of being a "despicable narcissist" who uses interactions with service members to "steal their honor while denigrating them."
Mary Trump said that her uncle had not commemorated the anniversary of the service members' deaths in 2022 or 2023. She described Trump's staff as an extension of his personality, alleging that they follow his lead in behaving aggressively.
Trump's spokesman Steven Cheung said the team was allowed a photographer and denied that a staffer pushed a cemetery official, attributing the incident to a "mental health episode." In defense, Trump has also shared a letter signed by five family members of two of the deceased service members, praising his team's respectful conduct during the ceremony.
