Seven of the thirteen Gold Star families who lost sons and daughters during the United States' botched withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 penned a letter denouncing Vice President Kamala Harris' attack against former President Donald Trump for his recent appearance at Arlington National Cemetery.
Over the weekend, Harris released a statement that framed Trump's appearance at Arlington Cemetery earlier in the week as a "political stunt" that "disrespected sacred ground." Her statement further claimed there was an altercation between some of Trump's team and cemetery staff and repeated Trump's disputed "suckers" and "losers" quote.
Shortly after, the families of Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, Cpl. Hunter Lopez, Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, and Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, who were tragically killed during the nation's withdrawal from Afghanistan, published a joint letter denouncing Harris' statement. "We, the families of the brave service members who were tragically killed in the Abbey Gate bombing, are appalled by Vice President Kamala Harris' recent attempts to politicize President Trump's visit to Arlington National Cemetery," the families wrote. "President Trump was invited by us, the Gold Star families, to attend the solemn ceremonies commemorating the three-year anniversary of our children's deaths. He was there to honor their sacrifice, yet Vice President Harris has disgracefully twisted this sacred moment into a political ploy." "Her administration's catastrophic mishandling of the Afghanistan withdrawal directly led to the murder of 13 service members, including our children," they continued. "Despite our multiple requests for a meeting to discuss the loss of our loved ones, Vice President Harris has repeatedly ignored us, showing a complete lack of empathy and accountability." I want to thank the families of our Great Warriors who have been lost to us for the way they came together as one, and thanked me for attending, at their request, the Celebration of their wonderful family members who, because of the Incompetence of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden,… pic.twitter.com/ewkbVniBC0 "President Trump, on the other hand, has been the only Commander-in-Chief to consistently recognize the heroism of our children," they wrote. "His attendance at Arlington was not for political gain but to stand with us, to grieve with us, and to honor the legacy of those who gave everything for this nation. His leadership during his time in office was strong, and we have no doubt that if he were still Commander-in-Chief, our children would be alive today." "Her actions, both in the failure of the Afghanistan withdrawal and in her disgraceful politicization of this anniversary, have shown that she lacks the judgment, compassion, and leadership required for the position," they concluded. "We will continue to hold her accountable for the role she played in the deaths of our children, and we will not stand by as she disrespects their memory. America deserves better. Our children deserved better."
The families asserted Harris and President Biden bore responsibility for the deaths of the 13 fallen soldiers who perished during their mission.
The letter added Harris' "refusal to face the consequences of her administration's decisions" was a "deep betrayal" of Gold Star families.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2024
The families then asserted Harris "has proven herself unfit to serve as Commander-in-Chief."
Trump shared the letter in an X post and thanked them for their invitation to Arlington Cemetary for the third anniversary of the Abbey Gate bombing.
"The Celebration of their wonderful family members who, because of the Incompetence of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, are no longer with us," Trump wrote. "Thank you for saying you wanted me to stand with you at Arlington National Ceremony, and take pictures, that it was your request, not mine, but it was my Great Honor to do so. I WILL NEVER FORGET!"
Trump reiterated the families' frustration with the Biden-Harris administration.
"In Afghanistan, you don’t take the Soldiers out first, you take the Soldiers out last," he continued. "This would be Military 101, the most basic, and the 'leaders' of that Disaster should be immediately fired. We have FOOLS in the White House, and now, they are trying to solve the Hostage Crisis in Israel. Guess how that’s going to turn out?"
In a Tuesday morning post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that no incident occurred at Arlington National Cemetary.
"There was no conflict or 'fighting' ... last week," he said. "It was a made up story by Comrade Kamala and her misinformation squad. She made it all up to make up for the fact that she and Sleepy Joe have BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS for the INCOMPETENT AFGHANISTAN Withdrawal - THE MOST EMBARRASSING DAY IN U.S. HISTORY!!!"
He added: "They should have been at Arlington, not on a beach or studying for a Debate. Thank you to my friends, the GREAT GOLD STAR FAMILIES, for revealing the TRUTH OF A BEAUTIFUL DAY OF HONOR. Could not have been a nicer moment-And there were no fights or problems, only in the heads of those that are destroying our Country!"
Editor's Note: A previous version of this story did not include Trump's comments from Tuesday morning.
