Trump staffers who got into alleged physical altercation at Arlington National Cemetery are named

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

The two Trump staffers involved in a confrontation with personnel at Arlington National Cemetery have been named.

The previously unidentified duo have been revealed as Donald Trump’s deputy campaign manager Justin Caporale and advance team member Michael Picard, according to NPR.

Caporale previously served as an aide to first lady Melania Trump. He left the White House to work for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, before joining Trump’s 2024 campaign. He was also a project manager for the Jan. 6 rally where Trump urged the crowd to “stop the steal” before the riot at the Capitol, according to NPR.

The outlet said that it named the two men as those involved after Trump denied the incident took place.

The Independent has contacted the Trump campaign for comment.

After NPR contacted the two people allegedly involved, Trump spokesman Steven Cheung responded: “I see you’ve been emailing some of our team members… As the Army has said, they consider this matter closed. President Trump was there to support the Gold Star families and honor the sacrifices their loved ones made.”

Trump’s August 26 visit to Arlington drew ire after he went to the cemetery for a wreath laying to honor the 13 service members killed at the Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan during the 2021 US withdrawal.

After the ceremony, Trump visited Section 60 - where recently killed soldiers are buried - at the invitation of some family members of fallen soldiers.

There, he was photographed and gave a thumbs up near some graves.

Soon after the visit, it was revealed that Trump campaign staffers were involved in an alleged physical confrontation with cemetery personnel.

Arlington rules state that only official photographers can take pictures or film in Section 60. When an Arlington staff member tried to enforce the rules, two Trump campaign staffers, now identified as Caporale and Picard, allegedly pushed past the employee.

Cheung, in the immediate aftermath, threatened to release footage of the incident and attacked the Arlington employee, saying they suffered from a “mental health” episode. Trump has tried to deny the incident took place.

The Army then released a statement saying the staff member had been pushed aside.

“Participants in the August 26th ceremony and the subsequent Section 60 visit were made aware of federal laws, Army regulations and DoD policies, which clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds,” the statement read. “An ANC employee who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside.”

While the matter was referred to police, the staffer involved did not want to press charges. The Army now considers the matter “closed.”