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| Trump Angrily Denies Report He Called Fallen Soldiers ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’ | Trump Angrily Denies Report He Called Fallen Soldiers ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’ |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| WASHINGTON — President Trump confronted a crisis on Friday that could undercut badly needed support in the military community for his re-election campaign as he sought to dispute a report that he privately referred to American soldiers killed in combat as “losers” and “suckers.” | |
| Mr. Trump, who has long portrayed himself as a champion of the armed forces and boasted of rebuilding a military depleted after years of overseas wars, came under intense fire from Democrats and other opponents who said a report in The Atlantic demonstrated his actual contempt for those who serve their country in uniform. | |
| The campaign of former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic nominee, blasted out a series of statements and organized a conference call for reporters with Khizr Khan, the Gold Star father who represented Virginia at the Democratic National Convention last month, and Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat severely wounded while serving as a helicopter pilot in Iraq, who slammed Mr. Trump during the convention as the “coward in chief.” | |
| Christine Todd Whitman, the former Republican governor of New Jersey and head of Republicans and Independents for Biden, said Mr. Trump’s reported remarks showed that he was incapable of understanding how anyone could possess the kind of selflessness required of those who serve in uniform. “Donald Trump’s comments are truly depraved and disqualify him from serving as commander-in-chief,” she said. | |
| And VoteVets, a veterans organization that has long been critical of Mr. Trump, quickly released an online ad featuring the parents of troops slain in Iraq and Afghanistan, each one declaring that their son or stepson was not a “loser” or “sucker.” | |
| Speaking with reporters next to Air Force One after returning from a campaign rally Thursday night, Mr. Trump heatedly denied making the comments, as reported by the magazine. | |
| “If people really exist that would have said that, they’re lowlifes and they’re liars,” Mr. Trump shouted above the noise of the plane’s engines. “And I would be willing to swear on anything that I never said that about our fallen heroes. There is nobody that respects them more.” He added, “What animal would say such a thing?” | “If people really exist that would have said that, they’re lowlifes and they’re liars,” Mr. Trump shouted above the noise of the plane’s engines. “And I would be willing to swear on anything that I never said that about our fallen heroes. There is nobody that respects them more.” He added, “What animal would say such a thing?” |
| He got support from an unlikely source on Friday when John R. Bolton, his former national security adviser who has broken with him and called him unfit for office, said he was on the trip in question and never heard Mr. Trump make those remarks. “I didn’t hear that,” Mr. Bolton said in an interview. “I’m not saying he didn’t say them later in the day or another time but I was there for that discussion.” | |
| The report by The Atlantic’s editor in chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, said that Mr. Trump decided against visiting a cemetery for American soldiers killed in World War I during a 2018 visit to France because the rain would have mussed his hair and because he did not believe it was important to honor the war dead. | |
| The article attributed the episode to “four people with firsthand knowledge of the discussion that day,” but did not name them. During a conversation with senior officials that day, according to the magazine, Mr. Trump said: “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” On the same trip, the article said, he referred to American Marines slain in combat at Belleau Wood as “suckers” for getting killed. | |
| The article also said that Mr. Trump’s well-known antipathy for Senator John McCain, the Republican from Arizona and Vietnam War hero, was on display after the senator’s death in August 2018. “We’re not going to support that loser’s funeral,” the article quotes Mr. Trump telling his staff. He became furious at seeing flags lowered to half-staff. “What the fuck are we doing that for? Guy was a fucking loser,” the president told aides, according to the article. | The article also said that Mr. Trump’s well-known antipathy for Senator John McCain, the Republican from Arizona and Vietnam War hero, was on display after the senator’s death in August 2018. “We’re not going to support that loser’s funeral,” the article quotes Mr. Trump telling his staff. He became furious at seeing flags lowered to half-staff. “What the fuck are we doing that for? Guy was a fucking loser,” the president told aides, according to the article. |
| The report could be problematic for Mr. Trump because he is counting on strong support among the military for his re-election bid. He has made his backing for increased military spending, troop pay raises and improved veterans care pillars of his campaign at the same time he boasts of ratcheting down “endless wars” in Afghanistan and Iraq. | The report could be problematic for Mr. Trump because he is counting on strong support among the military for his re-election bid. He has made his backing for increased military spending, troop pay raises and improved veterans care pillars of his campaign at the same time he boasts of ratcheting down “endless wars” in Afghanistan and Iraq. |
| But he has also clashed with the military leadership by extending clemency to accused and convicted war criminals, seeking to order active-duty forces into the streets of Washington to crack down on demonstrations and trying to block an effort to change the names of Army bases named for Confederate generals. The Trump administration has also ordered that Stars and Stripes, the venerable military newspaper that has served troops since the Civil War, be closed by Sept. 30. | |
| A new poll by The Military Times taken before the party conventions last month and released this week showed former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. leading Mr. Trump with 41 percent to 37 percent among active-duty troops, a stark departure from the military’s longstanding support for Republicans. | A new poll by The Military Times taken before the party conventions last month and released this week showed former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. leading Mr. Trump with 41 percent to 37 percent among active-duty troops, a stark departure from the military’s longstanding support for Republicans. |
| People familiar with Mr. Trump’s comments say he has long scorned those who served in Vietnam as being too dumb to have gotten out of it, as he did through a medical diagnosis of bone spurs in his heels. At other times, according to those familiar with the remarks, Mr. Trump would marvel at people choosing military service over making money. | People familiar with Mr. Trump’s comments say he has long scorned those who served in Vietnam as being too dumb to have gotten out of it, as he did through a medical diagnosis of bone spurs in his heels. At other times, according to those familiar with the remarks, Mr. Trump would marvel at people choosing military service over making money. |
| Mr. Biden quickly issued a statement condemning the president and saying it demonstrated that Mr. Trump was not fit for the office. Mr. Biden said the article, if true, showed “another marker of how deeply President Trump and I disagree about the role of the president of the United States.” | |
| “I have long said that, as a nation, we have many obligations, but we only have one truly sacred obligation — to prepare and equip those we send into harm’s way, and to care for them and their families, both while they are deployed and after they return home. That’s the foundation of what Jill and I believe,” said Mr. Biden, whose late son, Beau Biden, served overseas. “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.” | “I have long said that, as a nation, we have many obligations, but we only have one truly sacred obligation — to prepare and equip those we send into harm’s way, and to care for them and their families, both while they are deployed and after they return home. That’s the foundation of what Jill and I believe,” said Mr. Biden, whose late son, Beau Biden, served overseas. “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.” |
| Mr. Trump’s trip to Paris in November 2018 came at a tense moment for him. Republicans had just lost the House in midterm elections when he flew to France to attend a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. | Mr. Trump’s trip to Paris in November 2018 came at a tense moment for him. Republicans had just lost the House in midterm elections when he flew to France to attend a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. |
| During the trip, he was angered when President Emmanuel Macron of France seemed to rebuke Mr. Trump by saying in a speech that “nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism by saying: ‘Our interest first. Who cares about the others?’” | During the trip, he was angered when President Emmanuel Macron of France seemed to rebuke Mr. Trump by saying in a speech that “nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism by saying: ‘Our interest first. Who cares about the others?’” |
| But it was Mr. Trump’s failure to go through with a planned visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery at the foot of the hill where the Battle of Belleau Wood was fought that drew the most attention. Aides at the time cited the rain in canceling a helicopter flight, but the president’s absence went over badly in Europe and in the United States. Mr. Trump did pay respects to the war dead the next day at the Suresnes American Cemetery outside Paris. | But it was Mr. Trump’s failure to go through with a planned visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery at the foot of the hill where the Battle of Belleau Wood was fought that drew the most attention. Aides at the time cited the rain in canceling a helicopter flight, but the president’s absence went over badly in Europe and in the United States. Mr. Trump did pay respects to the war dead the next day at the Suresnes American Cemetery outside Paris. |
| At the time of the visit to France, advisers were blunt in confiding that Mr. Trump was in a foul mood and was quizzing aides about whether he should replace John F. Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general and his White House chief of staff at the time. | At the time of the visit to France, advisers were blunt in confiding that Mr. Trump was in a foul mood and was quizzing aides about whether he should replace John F. Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general and his White House chief of staff at the time. |
| Several White House officials at the time said the decision that Mr. Trump would not take Marine One to the Belleau Wood cemetery was made by Zachary Fuentes, a deputy White House chief of staff and close aide to Mr. Kelly, without consulting the president’s military aide. Others argued that a motorcade trip by road would have taken too long, at roughly two hours. Administration officials said at the time that Mr. Fuentes had assured Mr. Trump it was fine to miss the visit. Mr. Kelly traveled to the cemetery himself in the president’s place along with Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., then the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. | Several White House officials at the time said the decision that Mr. Trump would not take Marine One to the Belleau Wood cemetery was made by Zachary Fuentes, a deputy White House chief of staff and close aide to Mr. Kelly, without consulting the president’s military aide. Others argued that a motorcade trip by road would have taken too long, at roughly two hours. Administration officials said at the time that Mr. Fuentes had assured Mr. Trump it was fine to miss the visit. Mr. Kelly traveled to the cemetery himself in the president’s place along with Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., then the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. |
| Mr. Trump insisted on Thursday that it was the weather, not disrespect, that forced the visit to be scrapped. “It was raining about as hard as I’ve ever seen,” he said. “And on top of that, it was very, very foggy. And the helicopter was unable to fly.” To go by ground, he added, the motorcade would have had to wind its way through congested areas of Paris for more than two hours. “The Secret Service told me, ‘You can’t do it,’” he said. “I said, ‘I have to do it. I want to be there.’ They said, ‘You can’t do it.’” | Mr. Trump insisted on Thursday that it was the weather, not disrespect, that forced the visit to be scrapped. “It was raining about as hard as I’ve ever seen,” he said. “And on top of that, it was very, very foggy. And the helicopter was unable to fly.” To go by ground, he added, the motorcade would have had to wind its way through congested areas of Paris for more than two hours. “The Secret Service told me, ‘You can’t do it,’” he said. “I said, ‘I have to do it. I want to be there.’ They said, ‘You can’t do it.’” |
| A half-dozen current and former aides to Mr. Trump backed him up with Twitter messages disputing the Atlantic article. “I was actually there and one of the people part of the discussion — this never happened,” wrote Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who was then the White House press secretary. “This is not even close to being factually accurate,” added Jordan Karem, the president’s personal aide at the time. | A half-dozen current and former aides to Mr. Trump backed him up with Twitter messages disputing the Atlantic article. “I was actually there and one of the people part of the discussion — this never happened,” wrote Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who was then the White House press secretary. “This is not even close to being factually accurate,” added Jordan Karem, the president’s personal aide at the time. |
| Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a West Point graduate and Army veteran, added his voice on Friday. “I’ve been with this president now for coming on four years,” he told Fox News. “I’ve never heard the president use the language that assertively is said in that article about him calling military suckers and losers. I’ve never seen that — indeed, just the contrary. He has always had the deepest respect.” | |
| Mr. Bolton said he was in the room at the ambassador’s residence when Mr. Trump arrived and Mr. Kelly told him that the helicopter trip had to be canceled. A two-hour motorcade would have put him too far away from Air Force One and the most capable communications array a president needs in case of an emergency, per usual protocol, Mr. Bolton said. “It was a straight weather call,” Mr. Bolton said. | |
| While Mr. Bolton said he did not hear the president disparage troops, he added that Mr. Trump did not protest the decision, as he now says he did. “He didn’t say, ‘This is terrible, I have to go out to the veterans,’” Mr. Bolton said. “He accepted it and that was pretty much the end of it.” Having said that, Mr. Bolton added, the reported comments were not out of character. “I haven’t heard anybody yet react to say, ‘That’s not the Donald Trump I know,’” he said. | |
| The reported comments about Mr. McCain were consistent with Mr. Trump’s publicly expressed view of the senator. In 2015, while seeking the Republican nomination over Mr. McCain’s opposition, Mr. Trump famously mocked the senator’s military service and five and a half years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, “He’s not a war hero,” Mr. Trump said. “He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.” | |
| Mr. McCain remained a thorn in Mr. Trump’s side after he won the presidency, blocking an effort to overturn President Barack Obama’s health care program, a vote Mr. Trump never forgave and still speaks about with bitterness. When Mr. McCain died, aides said at the time, the president had to be shamed into lowering the flags and he was not invited to the funeral. | Mr. McCain remained a thorn in Mr. Trump’s side after he won the presidency, blocking an effort to overturn President Barack Obama’s health care program, a vote Mr. Trump never forgave and still speaks about with bitterness. When Mr. McCain died, aides said at the time, the president had to be shamed into lowering the flags and he was not invited to the funeral. |
| But speaking with reporters on Thursday night, Mr. Trump insisted that he respected Mr. McCain even though they disagreed. | But speaking with reporters on Thursday night, Mr. Trump insisted that he respected Mr. McCain even though they disagreed. |
| “I was never a fan. I will admit that openly,” Mr. Trump said. But “we lowered the flags. I had to approve that, nobody else, I had to approve it. When you think — just thinking back, I had to approve either Air Force One or a military plane to go to Arizona to pick up his casket. And I approved it immediately. I had to approve the funeral because he had a first-class, triple-A funeral. It lasted for nine days, by the way. I had to approve it. All of that had to be approved by the president. I approved it without hesitation, without complaint.” | “I was never a fan. I will admit that openly,” Mr. Trump said. But “we lowered the flags. I had to approve that, nobody else, I had to approve it. When you think — just thinking back, I had to approve either Air Force One or a military plane to go to Arizona to pick up his casket. And I approved it immediately. I had to approve the funeral because he had a first-class, triple-A funeral. It lasted for nine days, by the way. I had to approve it. All of that had to be approved by the president. I approved it without hesitation, without complaint.” |
| He seemed to suggest that The Atlantic’s article came from several former aides that he had in mind. “Probably it’s a couple of people that have been failures in the administration that I got rid of,” he said. “I couldn’t get rid of them fast enough. Or it was just made up. But it’s unthinkable.” | He seemed to suggest that The Atlantic’s article came from several former aides that he had in mind. “Probably it’s a couple of people that have been failures in the administration that I got rid of,” he said. “I couldn’t get rid of them fast enough. Or it was just made up. But it’s unthinkable.” |