Donald Trump is facing backlash after he was seen giving a thumbs-up and smiling while posing for photos at Arlington National Cemetery. The ‘controversial’ gestures were made at the graves of soldiers who were killed during the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Netizens have condemned the former president’s actions, with many expressing their shock and disappointment at what they view as a highly disrespectful and disgraceful display of something for one’s own benefit.
Trump grins and flashes thumbs up at the graves of fallen marines
“Smiling thumbs up at the grave is unusual to say the least,” Adam Kinzinger, former Republican congressman wrote on his X criticising the Republican nominee. “Never mind that Trump negotiated the ‘deal’ and is the reason we left,” the lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard added.
Recently, Trump, who had faced accusations of ‘golfing’ and ‘sulking’ throughout the day, travelled to Virginia to lay a wreath commemorating the third anniversary of the deaths of 13 American soldiers at Kabul Airport’s Abbey Gate during the chaotic Afghan withdrawal. The gesture was intended to honour the fallen soldiers, but reactions were mixed. MAGA supporters applauded him for showing solidarity with the soldiers’ families, while detractors viewed the act as a typical move in his campaign strategy rather than a genuine tribute.
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Internet reacts
“Sick!!! Trump giving a thumbs up and smiling while standing alongside our fallen heroes,” a user commented on the photograph. “The image of Donald Trump grinning in front of a war grave with his thumb up is so on brand,” another wrote. “Donald’s internal monologue when he posed for that pic: “Wow… I can’t believe I’m still getting away with this… From ‘suckers and losers,’ to a thumbs-up at Arlington for my third campaign. Man, they really are suckers,” another one bashed the Republican. The commenter was hinting at claims that a four-star general had once heard Trump describe fallen military members as “suckers” and “losers.”
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“There is no greater sacrifice than giving one’s life in defense of our country,” Spencer Cox wrote on X on Monday. The Utah Governor also shared the photograph from the event and continued, “It was my solemn privilege to stand alongside the family of Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover at Arlington National Cemetery today as we paid tribute to his legacy and the 12 others who lost their lives three years ago at Abbey Gate in Afghanistan.”
One of the photos attached in the post showed the presidential hopeful with the family and friends of the soldiers posing for the camera behind Hoover’s headstone.
Trump was joined by former dem Tulsi Gabbard
At the event, Donald Trump was accompanied by Tulsi Gabbard, a former Army Reserve officer and ex-Democratic member who recently endorsed the Republican nominee. Even though the Trump campaign tried to shift the blame for the disorderly exit from Afghanistan onto the Biden team, it was earlier reported that the Trump administration, in fact, was the one that had brokered the agreement for the rapid pullout of U.S. troops.
In the images, it seemed that Trump was embraced by family and friends of the deceased Marines, with a few even showing smiles and offering thumbs-up gestures just like the former prez. The pictures that got shared the most had him standing next to the headstones of Nicole Gee, a sergeant, and Darin ‘Taylor’ Hoover, a staff sergeant.