Culture Society, Identity and Belonging
There are few places so intrinsically sacred that people whisper during a visit. Arlington National Cemetery is one of them – which is why the Trump campaign’s visit last week following a wreath-laying ceremony for 13 US service members killed in Afghanistan in 2021 is still rippling across America. Jimmy McCain, son of the late Republican senator and presidential candidate John McCain, described Trump’s visit as a “violation”, after the campaign broke rules on political activity in the cemetery by filming and taking photographs that were later posted online. A cemetery employee who tried to intervene was “abruptly pushed aside”, the army said in a statement. A Trump campaign spokesman initially accused the employee of experiencing a “mental health episode” and Trump has since denied that any conflict took place, while families of the killed service members have defended Trump’s visit. Jimmy McCain, formerly a registered Republican, said he had recently registered as a Democrat and planned to vote for Kamala Harris in November.
