Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump defended his campaign's recent trip to Arlington National Cemetary by saying he was there to "celebrate" the anniversary of the deaths of soldiers who died in Afghanistan.
During an interview with influencer Lex Fridman that aired on Tuesday, Trump tried to explain why he spent so much time attacking Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
"I think they're nasty," he said. "They came up with a story that I look down, and I call soldiers that died in World War I suckers, and losers, okay... It was a made-up story."
"Like she lied on McDonald's," he continued. "She said that she worked at McDonald's. It's not a big lie, but it's a big lie."
Trump argued that criticizing him for using Arlington Cemetery in a campaign video was "one of the worst" attacks.
"I went to Arlington at the request of people that lost their children," he explained. "And they asked me if I'd come and celebrate with them three years, three years. They died three years ago."
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"And I got there, and we had a beautiful time. I didn't run away," he continued. "And it was amazing. So I did it for them. I didn't do it for me. I don't need the publicity."