Arlington cemetery controversy shines spotlight on Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s sudden embrace of Trump

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A few months ago, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox was one of the few prominent Republicans consistently keeping his distance from Donald Trump, whose brash style seemed to be the antithesis of a brand of politics Cox had carefully cultivated that centered on unity and respect.

Cox did not vote for Trump in 2016 or 2020. He told CNN in July that he would not vote for him this year. The governor said the then-president’s role in inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol went too far.

Days later, after an assassination attempt on Trump at a Pennsylvania rally, Cox changed his mind.

Cox sent a letter to Trump explaining that his defiant response at the moment of the shooting had spurred a sudden reassessment and switch for Cox.

His turnabout bewildered political observers who, for the past decade, have watched Cox methodically build a persona as a moderate in the manner of Mitt Romney, the Utah senator who was the Republican presidential nominee in 2012, while climbing the ranks of state leadership.

Cox, 49, said in his note that he believed Trump could save the country “by emphasizing unity rather than hate.”

“You probably don’t like me much,” Cox wrote. “But I want you to know that I pledge my support.”

Trump has not in turn endorsed Cox for reelection.

The Arlington controversy 

The pair’s puzzling relationship was thrust into the spotlight again this past week when they put themselves at the center of a controversy at Arlington National Cemetery. After Trump’s staff had an altercation with a cemetery official, Cox broke rules — and likely federal law — in using a graveside photo with Trump in a campaign fundraising email.

Read more: Cox issues statement after using photos taken at Arlington for campaigning

Federal law prohibits campaign or election-related activities within the Army’s national cemeteries. And officials at Arlington said that rule had been shared widely before Monday’s ceremony honoring 13 service members. That included one from Utah, who died in an airport bombing during the Afghanistan withdrawal three years ago.

Cox’s campaign issued a swift apology for politicizing the ceremony. Trump’s has insisted it had permission to film in a restricted area. A TikTok video of the visit shared by Trump includes scenes of him and Cox at the cemetery. It includes a voiceover of the former president blaming the Biden administration for the “disaster” of the withdrawal.

The opposing responses highlight the disconnect between their political styles. It reignites questions as to why Cox has chosen to stand by Trump, who said after the assassination attempt that he had no plans to change his ways.

“I’m confident that he was there to support a Utah family, and that’s a laudable goal, but in being there with Donald Trump, he got pulled into something that creates some ethical challenges,” said Chris Karpowitz, a political science professor at Brigham Young University. “He allowed himself to compromise his values, and he’s not the first politician aligning with Donald Trump to have found himself in that position.”

Reaction from Utahns 

The sudden embrace by Cox is not sitting well with some Utah moderates he had worked to win over.

Kyle Douglas of Orem said he lost his trust in Cox when the governor chose to back Trump. 

“I used to be proud that my governor was still one of the good guys,” Douglas said. “It’s so disappointing to see him sell out.”

Karpowitz said he, too, was surprised by Cox’s switch. He recalled thinking the governor’s notion that Trump could be a unifying figure for the nation was “somewhat naive.” The professor said he found himself struggling to understand why Cox might have thought backing Trump would help the governor politically.