E-Paper
Donald Trump claims he doesn't ‘need publicity’ from US soldiers' graves visit
Donald Trump denies using Arlington visit for publicity, claims he posed for photos at families' invitation.
Donald Trump has denied accusations of using a visit to Arlington National Cemetery as a political stunt, citing that he does not “need publicity”.
It came after the US army accused Trump campaign officials of using a sombre event on Monday to commemorate the deaths of several US soldiers in Afghanistan for a photo opportunity with the erstwhile president.
The Army singled out two campaign workers for jockeying over cemetery rules by shoving an official who told them that it was against regulations to take photos at the graves of the recently killed soldiers.
Trump was photographed flashing a V-sign and posing with family members next to the graves of 13 US servicemen and women who died perusing terrorists in a suicide bombing when America abruptly evacuated Afghanistan in 2021.
ALSO READ| Ex-Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani sued for trying to hide assets in Florida
Trump addressed the backlash in a rally in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, that he only posed for the photos at the invitation of the families.
“I don’t need publicity. I get a lot of publicity. I would like to get a lot less publicity … I would hire a public relations agent to get less publicity,” Trump said during the rally.
“Joe Biden killed those young people because he was incompetent. And then they tell me that I used their graves for public relations services, and I didn’t,” he added.
Trump questions Kamala Harris's ability as president
Earlier in the day, Trump sent a fundraising email to his supporters, promising an “EARTH-SHATTERING announcement that blows this race wide open.”
“It’ll strike FEAR into the hearts of our DEEP STATE ENEMIES. It’ll force the Fake News Media to kick their propaganda machine into OVERDRIVE. It’ll send Comrade Kamala begging for massive checks from the liberal billionaire class,” Trump said,
He also focused on familiar themes such as immigration and crime and questioned Vice President Kamala Harris's ability to “stand up to China and North Korea” as president.
ALSO READ| Cops tase man who stormed press area at Donald Trump's rally in Pennsylvania
Throughout his speech, Trump reiterated his support for the death penalty for drug dealers and pledged to “end the era of inflation and misery,” “keep men out of women’s sports,” and “restore peace through strength.” He also diverged into remarks about the “war on Christmas” and again accused foreign governments of sending criminals to the U.S. illegally.
“If I was running one of those countries, I’d be doing better than them at getting them (imprisoned criminals) out,” he claimed.
