DISCLAIMER: This article contains content from August 2025
President Donald Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery on Monday morning to lay a wreath and mark the third anniversary of the Kabul airport attack that killed 13 U.S. service members. But did he come to honor the fallen, or was this just another chance for him to make himself look good?
Trump has a history of disrespecting the military. Back in 2020, Marine widow Kait Wyatt saw a photo of Trump at her husband’s grave and was furious. “I was instantly furious,” she said on CNN’s “Right Now with Brianna Keilar.” Her anger was clear, “Get off my husband’s grave and get out of Arlington.” Wyatt’s message was loud and clear: Arlington is not a place for politics. Yet here we are, watching Trump use the cemetery for another photo op.
CNN News Central captured Wyatt’s feelings perfectly in a tweet: “You can’t stand on the graves of better men who fought and died for this country while you rip apart that country with your incompetence.” This quote speaks to what many Americans feel. Trump’s visit wasn’t about respect; it was about politics.
Kait Wyatt, widow of a Marine veteran, reacts to Pres. Trump’s alleged remarks on troops when visiting Arlington National Cemetery in 2017. “You can’t stand on the graves of better men who fought and died for this country while you rip apart that country with your incompetence.” pic.twitter.com/HdrsaTqDkr
— CNN News Central (@NewsCentralCNN) September 8, 2020
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Wyatt shared that seeing the photo deeply upset her. As she told CNN, “It really triggered me both as a widow and as a veteran.” She emphasized her strong disapproval of using veterans, fallen soldiers, and POWs for political purposes.
During his visit, Trump even involved grieving families, making them stand beside him as he used their loss to boost his image. Does he really think a simple wreath can erase his past disrespect? It can’t. The damage is already done, and his actions just add to the hurt. We all know that Trump often tries to rewrite history to fit his story, pretending to care about the people he insulted before. This visit was no different—Trump used it to make himself look good, not to truly honor those who sacrificed their lives.
So, the big question is: Is there anything Trump won’t use for his own benefit? He’s already shown that nothing is sacred—not even the graves of our fallen heroes. The Republican Party may still support him, but many of us are left wondering.
Featured image via Screengrab
