The Biden Campaign's Use of Veterans Cemetery Footage
A 2020 Biden campaign ad included a disclaimer; a June 2024 Biden campaign video did not.
On June 9 this year, President Biden stopped by the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France during a European trip. This American World War I cemetery in France was skipped by President Trump in 2018 when the weather deteriorated and made flying unsafe. Trump reportedly made disparaging remarks about the veterans buried in the cemetery, charges the president and his campaign vehemently deny.
The New York Times reported President Biden’s June stop at the Aisne-Marne cemetery this way:
There is trolling. And then there is presidential trolling.
President Biden on Sunday wrapped up a five-day visit to France by making a point to visit a cemetery for American soldiers killed in World War I. That, of course, is the kind of thing that presidents typically do.
But this particular cemetery was the same one that President Donald J. Trump was supposed to visit in 2018 before canceling, citing the rain, and touching off a political furor. For Mr. Biden — running against Mr. Trump again — visiting the cemetery was meant to send a message to voters back home.
The “message to voters” was not left up to media reports, however. The very next day, the Biden campaign posted a scathing video on X (Twitter) and Facebook combining footage of Biden’s cemetery visit with harsh commentary from some veterans contrasting Biden’s and Trump’s experiences with the cemetary (including details Trump denies.) The video closes with one veteran’s remark, “A good commander-in-chief is SOMEBODY WHO GIVES A SHIT.” [uppercase in original]
A 2020 Biden ad that also used footage of military gravesites (including a 2010 photo of then vice-president Joe Biden standing at a tombstone in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery) included a disclaimer that read “The use of U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) visual information does not imply or constitute endorsement of the U.S. military, any military personnel or the Department of Defense.” The disclaimer did not appear with the 2010 photo, however, likely indicating the photo was from a source other than the DoD. The source of the photo remains unclear (other news outlets have been unable to track it down either.)
A New York Times report pointed to the disclaimer as a factor which distinguished the 2020 Biden ad from the Trump campaign’s recent usage of Arlington cemetery footage. However, the June 2024 video posted by the Biden campaign contains no such disclaimer either.
The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) oversees veterans cemeteries such as Arlington and Aisne-Marne. When asked about the June 2024 Biden footage at Aisne-Marne, a spokesperson for the ABMC told Pluribus:
Official White House visits have not previously required film permits by our agency. Outside of our permitting process, ABMC does not currently have an overarching policy restricting content usage nor do we fall under other federal policies covering sites managed by the Department of Defense. Our film permitting process indicates the following restrictions only:
Applicant agrees that film material and photography taken at the cemetery and/or memorial site may not be used to raise funds or to advertise, market or promote any commercial product, program or service without the express written consent of ABMC, except that applicant shall be entitled to use film material and photography of the cemetery and/or memorial in connection with promoting, advertising and publicizing the program or publication for which filming and/or photography was specified on this application and within the supporting documentation. [emphasis added]
When asked if the White House or the Biden campaign might have filmed the president’s appearance for the Biden campaign video, the spokesperson replied, “As we did not have Public Affairs staff on the ground for that event, I would have to refer you to the White House for that information.” Inquiries to both the White House and the Biden campaign’s (and now the Harris campaign’s) videographer about the source of the video footage have so far gone unanswered.
The Trump Arlington visit at the invitation of some Gold Star families blew up after a reported confrontation between a cemetery official and Trump campaign personnel over where filming was permitted in which the official was allegedly pushed. Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung later said the official was “clearly suffering from a mental health episode,” but denied the pushing accusation. The use of images of the solemn ceremonies at Arlington (including a smiling Donald Trump with veterans’ family members giving his signature thumbs-up over a row of tombstones) also raised objections. While some veterans and families have been critical of Trump, others who have criticized the Biden administration’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 where 13 US service members were killed have expressed appreciation for Trump’s visit and his attention to veterans.
In the wake of the Trump Arlington episode, the American Battle Monuments Commission spokesperson told Pluribus that the ABMC is currently “in the process of reviewing our guidance” regarding filming at cemeteries and memorials.