Utah Governor Spencer Cox has issued a public apology after a campaign email featuring a controversial photo from Arlington National Cemetery sparked backlash. The email, which included an image of Cox with former President Donald Trump at the cemetery, drew criticism due to the cemetery’s strict policies against political activities.
The photo showed Cox and Trump at the grave of a service member who died during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. The accompanying email asked for donations to Cox’s reelection campaign while urging supporters to honor the fallen service members. This move was met with swift condemnation as it contravened Arlington National Cemetery’s regulations.
Cox took to X (formerly Twitter) to address the uproar, stating, “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. My campaign will be sending out an apology.” His office has not yet provided further details on how the email was mistakenly distributed.
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The incident occurred against the backdrop of a separate controversy involving Trump’s visit to the cemetery. Reports emerged of a confrontation between Trump’s staff and a cemetery employee regarding the filming and photographing on the grounds. Trump’s campaign has denied any physical altercation, with spokesperson Steven Cheung labeling the allegations as defamatory and suggesting the issue involved a private photographer and an individual allegedly suffering from a mental health episode.
In response to the incident, Trump shared a video on TikTok featuring him near the graves, critiquing President Joe Biden’s administration and the handling of the Afghanistan pullout. Arlington National Cemetery confirmed the incident and reiterated its policy prohibiting political and campaign activities, including photography and video recording.
“Federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries,” stated the cemetery, highlighting that this prohibition extends to photographers and content creators supporting partisan campaigns.
