Gold Star mom defends Trump's Arlington visit: 'He's been our rock'
Gold Star mother Kelly Barnett, whose son Taylor Hoover was killed during the Afghanistan withdrawal, joined 'America's Newsroom' to discuss why she was glad the former president was in attendance despite critics' scrutiny.
A Gold Star mother set the record straight on former President Trump's visit to Arlington Cemetery, where he honored 13 service members who died in a terrorist attack during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Kelly Barnett, whose son, Marine Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, was killed during the ISIS-K assault in 2021, explained that both President Biden and Vice President Harris were invited to attend but failed to show up during "America's Newsroom."
"I didn't invite her personally or him personally. Governor Cox of Utah sent [Biden] a letter, letting him know the celebration that we were having, the ceremony that we were having, [and] told him that it would be good for him to be there," Barnett told co-host Bill Hemmer on Tuesday.
"Also, Arlington Cemetery let them know of the ceremony, so they... went without any kind of response from either one. So they were aware of the ceremony. They knew that it would be in their best interest to be there, and they refused to attend," she continued.
Trump joined Gold Star families at the national cemetery in Virginia last Monday for a wreath-laying ceremony to honor the 13 service members who were killed during the terrorist attack at Abbey Gate outside Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug. 26, 2021.
Barnett said she and the other families felt called to invite the former president because of his support throughout their grieving process. They also had approved a Trump campaign photographer to record the event, Fox News previously reported.
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA - AUGUST 26: Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump stands alongside Bill Barnett (L), whose grandson Staff Sgt Darin Taylor Hoover died in Abbey Gate Bombing, during a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on August 26, 2024 in Arlington, Virginia. (Getty Images)
Following the event, media outlets such as NPR and the Associated Press reported that the photographer had recorded footage in a restricted area that prohibits political activity, with the U.S. Army adding that a cemetery staffer had been "abruptly pushed aside" during the event.
"Participants in the August 26th ceremony and the subsequent Section 60 visit were made aware of federal laws, Army regulations and DoD policies, which clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds. An ANC employee who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside," the Army said in a statement.
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Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung argued that the staffer who had blocked the campaign photographers appeared to be having a "mental health episode." He also specified that the campaign had been granted approval to bring a photographer.
"The fact is that a private photographer was permitted on the premises and, for whatever reason, an unnamed individual, clearly suffering from a mental health episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump’s team during a very solemn ceremony," he said.
Barnett pushed back on the reports, claiming she saw nothing associated with the alleged altercation and called it a "quiet" and "peaceful" day honoring her son and the other lives lost.
"It was so respectful and so quiet and peaceful as it always is at Arlington," Barnett said. "People were whispering. We were talking… Donald Trump was close to me. We were talking about Taylor and about the beautiful day and how grateful I was for him being there. I heard nothing. I don't know where this occurred. I don't know the reason for it."
"That whole day, we heard nothing. Until the next day when, you know, it came out on NPR," she continued.
Harris attacked Trump on X over his Arlington visit on Saturday, accusing him of "politicizing" the fallen service members.
"As Vice President, I have had the privilege of visiting Arlington National Cemetery several times. It is a solemn place; a place where we come together to honor American heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of this nation," she wrote. "It is not a place for politics. And yet, as was reported this week, Donald Trump’s team chose to film a video there, resulting in an altercation with cemetery staff. Let me be clear: the former president disrespected sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt."
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In response, the families of the 13 fallen service members released an ad tearing into the Biden-Harris administration for their handling of the deaths.
They called out both the president and vice president for never receiving a phone call, and for never saying the names of those service members who died three years ago.
"We've been disrespected so much in the last three years. It's been three years. No response from them," Barnett said. "No, 'I'm sorry.' No..., 'We stand with you. We know it was a mistake. We know it went down wrong.' Because we know mistakes happen in war. This wasn't supposed to be war, but it turned out to be, and it was just important that… we let Donald Trump know because he's been there for us. He's been our rock, and he's been there for us to give us a little bit of peace and carry that grief with us for a little while."
"It makes no sense that they throw daggers at us. Makes no sense they throw daggers at him, except for the fact that they weren't there, and they felt ashamed or that [they] were angry that he was with us," she continued.
Fox News' Emma Colton contributed to this report.
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