‘Fake News.’ Trump denies calling soldiers killed in battle ‘losers’ and ‘suckers’
President Donald Trump late Thursday denied a report that he called fallen soldiers “suckers” and “losers.”
He fired back after The Atlantic first reported that Trump used the terms to describe Americans lost in war. The Associated Press later said it independently confirmed the president made the remarks about those buried at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France.
Trump has expressed interest in planning military parades, and in 2018 said he didn’t want wounded veterans at them because seeing people who lost limbs could make those in attendance feel uncomfortable, The Atlantic reported. Sources, who spoke anonymously, also reportedly said Trump was opposed to attending the funeral of John McCain, a Republican U.S. Senator who criticized the president and was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam.
“We’re not going to support that loser’s funeral,” Trump said, according to The Atlantic.
The president took to Twitter to slam the report.
“I never called ... John a loser and swear on whatever, or whoever, I was asked to swear on, that I never called our great fallen soldiers anything other than HEROES,” the president wrote Thursday. “This is more made up Fake News given by disgusting & jealous failures in a disgraceful attempt to influence the 2020 Election.”
But Trump at the 2015 Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa, called John McCain a “loser” because he was defeated by President Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election.
Video shows Trump at the event saying McCain “was a war hero because he was captured.”
“I like people who weren’t captured,” Trump said.
After The Atlantic report, some supporters of the president came to his defense.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who previously served as White House press secretary for the Trump administration, called The Atlantic’s report “total BS.”
“These were some of the moments I witnessed the President show his heart and demonstrate how much he respects the selfless and courageous men and women of our military,” she tweeted. “I am disgusted by this false attack.”
A White House spokesperson said the reporting was “offensive & patently false.”
“@realDonaldTrump holds the military in the highest regard,” communications director Alyssa Farah wrote on Twitter. “He’s demonstrated his commitment to the force: delivering a pay raise to our troops, increasing military $, signing vets reform & supporting military spouses.”
But others on Twitter criticized the president for his reported remarks.
As of Friday morning, #TrumpHatesVeterans was a trending topic, with people sharing stories about their loved ones who served in the military.
“I recommend all veterans to use their Military pics as a profile pic to let Trump know how many people he has offended by calling fallen soldiers losers and suckers,” wrote one social media user who called himself a “former Trump supporter.”
John McCain’s daughter, Meghan, also blasted the president on Twitter.
“I just got through two years without my Dad a few days ago,” she wrote. “The loss is still incredibly painful and raw. No one is more acutely aware of how vile and disgusting Trump has been to my family, it is still hard to understand - America knows who this man is...”
Joe Biden, the president’s Democratic opponent in the 2020 general election, also reacted to the president’s alleged comments.
He wrote: “If I have the honor of serving as the next commander in chief, I will ensure that our American heroes know that I will have their back and honor their sacrifice. Always.”
The Atlantic’s report was published days after a Military Times poll found Biden had an edge over Trump among active-duty troops, McClatchy News reported.
About 41% said they would cast their vote for Biden in the 2020 election, while 37% would back Trump, results show. The margin of error was plus or minus 2 percentage points.
This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 7:24 AM with the headline "‘Fake News.’ Trump denies calling soldiers killed in battle ‘losers’ and ‘suckers’."
