A former White House staffer under Donald Trump has sharply criticized his decision to film a TikTok video at Arlington National Cemetery, where campaign photos and videos are prohibited. The video, posted on Trump’s TikTok account, shows him smiling and giving a thumbs-up in Section 60 of the cemetery, which is reserved for military members who died after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In the video, Trump attacks the Biden administration’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal. Alyssa Farah Griffin, who served in Trump’s White House, expressed her disapproval during a panel discussion on CNN’s NewsNight on Wednesday. Griffin, who has participated in several cemetery events with former Vice President Mike Pence, emphasized the strict protocols that govern such visits.
“There are very strict rules of where you can be. You need certain permissions, and photography is only allowed in specific places,” Griffin explained. Griffin highlighted the difference between Trump’s visit and those of other political figures, noting that his appearance at Arlington was clearly a “campaign event.”
“He is not the sitting president. It’s not the sitting vice president. People were saying, ‘Well, other political figures have done events there.’ He’s doing it in a purely campaign capacity. It was deeply inappropriate. A professional team would’ve known that,” she asserted.
While Griffin agreed that Trump has the right to criticize President Joe Biden’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal and the deaths of 13 service members at Abbey Gate, she strongly disapproved of how Trump chose to do so. “There are so many ways to do that which are not disgraceful and disparaging to veterans, the way that this was handled,” Griffin concluded.
In response, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung stated that the team had been “granted access to have a photographer there” and shared a screenshot indicating that Trump was allowed to have an official photographer and videographer outside the main media pool.
The controversy over the video has sparked debate about the appropriateness of using sacred sites like Arlington National Cemetery for campaign purposes, particularly in a manner that many, including former Trump staffers, see as disrespectful to those who have served.