Like the Media Research Center, Newsmax ran to Donald Trump’s defense after he violated protocol at Arlington National Cemetery to stage a partisan photo op. Interestingly, the first mention of it we could find was an Aug. 26 wire article, followed by a piece by Michael Katz in which he touted onetime Democrat Tulsi Gabbard saying that “I had the privilege of joining President Trump this morning at Arlington Cemetery, where he joined two Gold Star families and loved ones of Staff Sgt. [Darin Taylor] Hoover and Sgt. [Nicole] Gee, both of whom were two of the 13 killed in the Abbey Gate attack three years ago today in Kabul.” After that, an article by Nicole Wells featured a Trump lackey touting the visit:
While former President Donald Trump participated in a wreath-laying ceremony Monday to honor the 13 American service members killed during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Democrat presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris was nowhere to be found, Karoline Leavitt, national press secretary for the 2024 Trump campaign, told Newsmax.
“[President] Joe Biden is at the beach in Delaware today, and Kamala Harris has nothing on her schedule,” Leavitt said “National Report.” “And while I’m sure she’s probably behind closed doors focusing on her campaign, she should remember that she is still vice president of the United States, and she is the reason, she and Joe Biden are the reason, that these 13 brave soldiers are no longer with us.
“And our question to the American people is how many more soldiers have to die? How many more young men and women in this country have to be robbed of their lives and their futures because of Joe Biden’s and Kamala Harris’ terrible policies?”
Leavitt said Trump’s actions at Arlington National Cemetery Monday to mark the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan on Aug. 26, 2021, demonstrated “what a true commander in chief looks like.”
As questions arose about Trump filming in a section of the cemetery where photography is prohibited, as well as a reported altercation between Trump staffers and cemetery officials, Newsmax switched into defense mode by promoting Trump’s own defense:
- Trump Campaign: Arlington Cemetery Staffer Tried to Block Us
- Trump Campaign Weighs Releasing Video of Arlington Altercation
- Jason Miller to Newsmax: There Was No Arlington Altercation
- Trump: Families Asked Me to Attend Arlington Ceremony
- Trump Blasts Harris, Dems’ Arlington Cemetery Spin: ‘Fools’
- Trump Issues Statement from Gold Star Families Defending Arlington Cemetery Visit and Ripping Harris
- Trump: ‘Fight’ at Arlington Cemetery ‘Made Up’ by Harris
Newsmax also brought Gold Star families on its TV channel to defend Trump and bash Biden:
- Gold Star Mom to Newsmax: Trump’s Arlington Appearance Not Political
- Gold Star Dads to Newsmax: Attacks on Trump Over Arlington Hurt Us
- Gold Star Dad Hoover to Newsmax: No Laws Broken at Arlington
- Gold Star Father to Newsmax: Trump Showed Up for Us When Biden-Harris Didn’t
- Gold Star Mom to Newsmax: Biden ‘Responsible’ for Son’s Death
- Gold Star Families Defend Trump in Ad
- Darin Hoover to Newsmax: We ‘Invited President Trump’ to Arlington
- Gold Star Dad Hoover to Newsmax: Harris Arlington Comments ‘Sickening’
It wasn’t mentioned that it was irrelevant whether the Gold Star families invited Trump if he filmed in a prohibited area. An Sept. 1 article by Sandy Fitzgerald promoted a Republican congressman defending Trump:
Sen. Tom Cotton, a one-time member of Arlington National Cemetery’s “Old Guard,” Sunday defended former President Donald Trump over the controversy concerning Trump’s visit to the burial site with members of Gold Star families.
There were 13 victims of the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan.
The Arkansas Republican, appearing on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” said that Trump, the GOP nominee, was at the cemetery to honor “the wishes of the 13 families whose children died at Abbey Gate,” and added that he wasn’t there to take campaign photographs.
“Those families wanted the photos,” Cotton said. “They told me yesterday that they specifically asked President Trump for the photos.”
Again, that’s irrelevant if the photos are taken in a prohibited area. Surprisingly, Newsmax published some articles critical of Trump over it. An Aug. 29 article by the apparently unironically named Charlie McCarthy claimed that “The Arlington National Cemetery official involved in an incident with two Trump campaign members was ‘abruptly pushed aside’ and ‘unfairly attacked,’ the U.S. Army said in a statement Thursday,” but adding that “The Army added it considered the matter closed.” A few more token articles followed:
- Utah Gov Under Fire for Campaign Email Featuring Trump at Arlington
- Harris: Trump ‘Disrespected Sacred Ground’ at US Military Cemetery
- McCain Son Rips Trump Over Arlington; Dad Did Same Thing
That was joined by a Sept. 4 article by Jim Thomas hyped that “A new poll shows former President Donald Trump leading Vice President Kamala Harris among veterans, active-duty military personnel, and their families, ” though he did tell both sides of the Arlington controversy.
The controversy didn’t quite end after that, though. A Sept. 10 article by Mark Swanson noted that “Three House Democrats released a statement Tuesday calling on the Army to — again — admonish former President Donald Trump over his appearance at Arlington National Cemetery that they maintain was used for ‘campaign purposes.'” Another article that day by McCarthy touted a Rasmussen poll claiming that Nearly six in 10 voters support former President Donald Trump’s recent visit to Arlington National Cemetery” while completely censoring the nature of the controversy over the visit.