Vice President Kamala Harris has done “nothing” for the Gold Star families who lost their loved ones in the Biden-Harris administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), former President Donald Trump’s running mate, said on Monday after Harris insulted them.
“Tulsi Gabbard (herself a veteran) tells the story of how Donald Trump went to Arlington to pay respects to 13 Americans who died in the line of duty,” Vance said.
“Kamala Harris has done nothing for these families. Donald Trump showed up to grieve with them,” he continued, sharing a clip of Rep. Tulsi Gabbard dismissing Harris’s narrative, as she suggested that Trump used grieving Gold Star families as props for political gain. That is absolutely not true, as Gabbard — who has endorsed Trump and will serve as an honorary co-chair of his transition team should he win — also noted that Gold Star families invited Trump to honor their loved ones:
“I was there from the beginning, with the laying of the wreaths with the family members, the Gold Star family members, and some of the survivors of that terrorist attack in that disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. I was with them at section 60,” Gabbard said, adding that she witnessed a “very grave and somber remembrance and honoring of those lives that were lost.”
“I saw President Trump spending time at the invitation of the Gold Star families. … He was there for a few hours. I did not see or hear about any kind of altercation until something came out in the news later on,” she said.
“The families were there grieving alongside President Trump and it would was a very special moment to really remember their names, remember their memories, and understand the true cost of war,” Gabbard added.
WATCH — Gabbard: Trump Was Grieving with Families at Arlington; It Was a ‘Grave and Somber Remembrance’
The response follows Harris insulting the Gold Star families in a lengthy post on X on Saturday, accusing Trump of participating in a “political stunt” at Arlington National Cemetery, honoring the 13 fallen servicemembers with their families:
Trump released a joint statement from these very Gold Star families, who blasted Harris for “disgracefully” twisting what they described as “this sacred moment into a political ploy.”
“We, the families of the brave service members who were tragically killed in the Abbey Gate bombing, are appalled by Vice President Kamala Harris’ recent attempts to politicize President Trump’s visit to Arlington National Cemetery,” the statement read in part.
“President Trump was invited by us, the Gold Star families, to attend the solemn ceremonies commemorating the three-year anniversary of our children’s deaths,” it continued. “He was there to honor their sacrifice, yet Vice President Harris has disgracefully twisted this sacred moment into a political ploy.”
READ the statement below:
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