JEFF CAPLAN'S MY MINUTE OF NEWS
Jeff Caplan’s Minute of News: The incident at Arlington
Aug 29, 2024, 6:00 AM
Former President Donald Trump and Utah Governor Spencer Cox pose with the family of Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover at Arlington National Cemetery. This photograph has drawn criticism due to a law prohibiting political campaigning at the graves of recently deceased veterans. (Gov. Spencer Cox via X)
(Gov. Spencer Cox via X)
Editor’s note: This is an editorial piece. An editorial, like a news article, is based on fact but also shares opinions. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and are not associated with our newsroom.
SALT LAKE CITY — Former President Trump stood on hallowed ground at Arlington National Cemetery Monday.
A photo shows the former president doing a thumbs-up and smiling as he stands over the grave of Marine Staff Sgt. Darin Hoover from Salt Lake City. He was killed three years ago at the Kabul International Airport during the Afghanistan withdrawal.
Alongside the former president stands 17 members of Hoover’s family. Roughly five smiling with a thumbs-up, three unsmiling and somber, and off to the side there’s Gov. Spencer Cox. No thumbs-up. No hands. They’re behind his back. His smile seems a little pensive and forced — but you read into pictures what you will.
What you don’t see in that picture is the incident that occurred right beforehand. An Arlington worker tried to prevent a campaign photographer from going to Sgt. Hoover’s grave. This is because Arlington National Cemetery prohibits politics at the hallowed gravesites.
According to the New York Times, there was a tussle that got physical as the worker tried to stop the photographer. But he went to the grave and snapped the picture.
The Trump campaign says yes, there was an Arlington Cemetery worker who had a mental health incident. Arlington officials say there was an incident report filed and they’re reviewing it.
In the meantime, a Liberal Veterans Group charges Trump with his thumb-up as using fallen heroes as a prop. The Trump campaign says they’re ready to release footage that proves there was no physical incident. And yet, no footage released by the campaign, which says they were only honoring a fallen hero at the invitation of the family.
So on both sides, there are fingers pointing at each other over this thumbs-up photograph. But what’s clear is that Arlington National Cemetery — hallowed ground — is now an issue in the presidential campaign. And off to the side, there’s Gov. Spencer Cox.
Jeff Caplan is the host of Jeff Caplan’s Afternoon News on KSL NewsRadio. Follow him on Facebook and X.
