As RedState reported on August 26 — the third anniversary of the suicide bombing at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan that killed 13 U.S. service members and roughly 170 Afghans — neither President Joe Biden nor Vice President Kamala Harris attended the solemn ceremony at Arlington Cemetery (ANC) commemorating the lives of the fallen. Respectfully, the former President Donald Trump was.
Reaction to Trump's attendance at the ceremony on the left was both despicable and predictable, including from Kamala Harris, along with the left-wing media sock puppets, of course.
On Sunday, former Democrat Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who now supports Trump, defended the former president during an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union."
Co-host Dana Bash, referring to Trump's attendance as a "controversy," said, "The Army says Trump staffers abruptly pushed aside a cemetery official who tried to impose Arlington's rules prohibiting political activities," before asking Gabbard if she "witnessed the altercation in Section 60."
Gabbard, predictably cool as a cucumber, replied:
I was there from the beginning with the laying of the wreaths with the family members, the Gold Star family members, and some of the survivors of that terrorist attack in that disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.
I was with them at Section 60, and what I saw was a very grave and somber remembrance and honoring of those lives that were lost. And I saw President Trump spending time at the invitation of the Gold Star families with them, he was there for a few hours.
Gabbard said she didn’t see or hear about an altercation until later, when it became a national news story.
On @CNNSotu, former Democratic congresswoman @TulsiGabbard defends Trump’s controversial visit to Arlington National Cemetery. pic.twitter.com/xof1PXn4jJ
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) September 1, 2024
Gabbard said the families of the fallen recalled Trump remembering their names. She also took a well-deserved shot at Biden and Harris.
The families were there grieving alongside President Trump and it was a very special moment to really remember their names, remember their memories, and understand the true cost of war and end the consequences of the decisions that Kamala Harris and Joe Biden made in the execution of that withdrawal.
Remember, Harris repeatedly boasted about being "the last person in the room" with Biden when he made the disastrous decisions that led to the deaths of the 13 American servicemembers and the more than 1,000 American citizens left behind Taliban lines, along with more than $7 billion in U.S. military equipment.
Related:
New Trump 'Scandal' Drops, Press Freak Out Over Arlington National Cemetery Visit
Bash being Bash, she pushed back at Gabbard, asking whether the U.S. Army Reserve officer believed Trump’s actions were appropriate. Gabbard said she checked with campaign officials about the alleged altercation and was told that they had exchanges with ANC officials and were cleared to bring a camera to document the commemoration. Gabbard added:
To me as, as a soldier, and as someone who has been deployed to different war zones in the world, and I have friends who are buried there at Section 60. What is more outrageous to me is that there wasn‘t universal coverage of the momentous day of the third anniversary of the loss of these 13 gold star families. And the outrage that they feel that their loved ones are not getting the kind of coverage and memory that their great sacrifice deserves. That is what everyone should be outraged about.
Gabbard was right about the ceremony not getting the coverage from the so-called "mainstream" media that it deserved. And sadly, it never will.
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