Army 1st Lt. Jimmy McCain, the son of the late Senator John McCain (R-AZ), expressed indignation regarding former President Donald Trump’s visit to Arlington National Cemetery, despite his father’s prior involvement in an advertisement filmed there.

In a discussion with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday, McCain criticized Trump for paying tribute to the 13 U.S. service members who lost their lives in the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan. When questioned about his characterization of Trump’s cemetery visit as a “violation,” McCain clarified that the individuals interred at the cemetery “do not have an opinion,” emphasizing that the purpose of the site is to “demonstrate respect for the men and women” who have served.

“As you well know, sir, Arlington Cemetery is sacred to all people who are members of the military, all people who have served in uniform,” McCain said. “It’s a sacred area. There’s three generations of McCains that are buried there. It’s a violation because these rules are set in place. … the point of Arlington Cemetery is to go and show respect for the men and women who have given their lives for this country. When you make it political, you take away the respect of the people who are there.”

The statement made by the younger McCain follows his father’s utilization of footage from Arlington National Cemetery in a campaign advertisement back in 1999. In November 1999, a representative from McCain’s campaign announced that the footage featuring the cemetery would be excluded from the campaign advertisement, as reported by the Los Angeles Times:

“The Army said this week that the Arizonan’s campaign did not ask permission to film him at the cemetery. Any request to do so would have been denied because partisan activity is banned at Army installations, the Army said. McCain acknowledged that his campaign erred and sent a letter to the Army saying that the scenes would be cut.”

During the discussion, Tapper referenced his father’s use of footage from Arlington National Cemetery in a campaign advertisement, noting that Trump’s visit to the cemetery had caused discomfort for McCain’s son. In response, the younger McCain highlighted that his father had subsequently removed the advertisement.

Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, responded to the allegations by clarifying that a “private photographer was permitted on the premises.”


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