Opinion: Don't yawn at Trump's dishonorable use of Arlington National Cemetery

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Opinion | Don’t yawn at Trump’s dishonorable use of Arlington National Cemetery
The candidate who has repeatedly maligned our soldiers couldn’t resist an illegal publicity stunt.


Former president Donald Trump during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery on Monday. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

By Eugene Robinson
August 29, 2024 at 3:47 p.m. EDT

Donald Trump has shown the nation, once again, that he has no shame. … You knew that, of course. But hauling a camera crew to Arlington National Cemetery and exploiting the fresh graves of heroes — using them as props in his presidential campaign — was more than a violation of the cemetery’s rules; it was more, even, than a violation of federal law. It was a deeply dishonorable act by a shockingly dishonorable man.

Just because we are accustomed to this kind of behavior from Trump does not mean we should accept it. Just because he has no sense of honor or appreciation of sacrifice does not mean we have to pretend honor and sacrifice no longer exist. Just because “Trump is an awful person” is an old story does not mean we should yawn at this latest demonstration and quickly move on.

Section 60 at Arlington Cemetery is the resting place of the men and women who most recently gave what Abraham Lincoln called “the last full measure of devotion” to their country. Monday was the third anniversary of the suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. troops during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. There is nothing wrong with a former president visiting those graves to commemorate that terrible day.

There is everything wrong, though, with that former president using the occasion to generate visual fodder for his bid to return to the White House. Trump brought along a photographer and videographer from his campaign to capture images of the visit — which his campaign team knew, and he surely knew, was forbidden.

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Opinion by Eugene Robinson
Eugene Robinson writes a column on politics and culture and hosts a weekly online chat with readers. In a three-decade career at The Washington Post, Robinson has been city hall reporter, city editor, foreign correspondent in Buenos Aires and London, foreign editor, and assistant managing editor in charge of the paper’s Style section. Twitter

[msongs]

1. mother - soo glad my son died cuz now he is a martyr for trump/vance nt

[Deuxcents]

2. Eugene Robinson is also a Pulitzer Prize winner and this article is an example of why. 👏👏