SALT LAKE CITY — Shortly after attending a graveside ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery with former President Donald Trump, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s reelection campaign used a photo of him at the event with the ex-president to solicit campaign donations.
Historian below explains Arlington Cemetery's ban on political activity:
And while Cox later apologized and said the emails should not have been sent, officials at Arlington said it’s against federal law to take campaign photos or videos at the final resting places for thousands of American veterans.
On Monday, Cox posted photos on social media walking side-by-side with Trump at Arlington National Cemetery. Tuesday evening, reports emerged that the former president’s campaign staff had a verbal and physical altercation with cemetery officials that day.
Both Cox and Trump were at the cemetery to attend a ceremony for American service members killed three years ago in a suicide bombing at Kabul Airport in Afghanistan. Among them was Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin Hoover, from Utah.
Cox’s reelection campaign also used the ceremony to encourage support. In an email this week, asking for donations, the campaign included a photo of the governor with Trump and Hoover’s family.
Under Cox’s signature, the email said, “If you would like to further support our campaign please consider the following options:” and included buttons to display a yard sign or donate.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Wednesday morning, Cox wrote, “This was not a campaign event and was never intended to be used by the campaign. It did not go through the proper channels and should not have been sent.”
