Donald Trump questioned why the U.S. government put such strong efforts into finding soldiers who went missing in action, saying that they deserved what they got for failing in their mission and being captured, a new report claims.
On Thursday, a report from Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic stated that the president repeatedly expressed disdain for American troops who died or were wounded in combat, and could not understand why they would make such a sacrifice when it offered nothing for them in return.
The report claimed that Trump raised these questions privately on a number of different occasions, including during a trip to France in 2018 in which he skipped a ceremony honoring U.S. troops killed there in World War I. The Atlantic reported that Trump was afraid of getting his hair wet in the rain and did not understand the importance of paying respect to the dead, letting those around him know exactly how he felt.
“Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers,” he reportedly said.
The report of Trump’s alleged disdain for military members has since been corroborated by a number of other outlets, including The Washington Post , which added that he expressed confusion about why the government valued finding missing soldiers.
“In one account, the president told senior advisers that he didn’t understand why the government placed such value on finding soldiers missing in action because they had performed poorly and gotten caught and deserved what they got, according to a person familiar with the discussion,” The Washington Post reported.
Trump has publicly expressed similar sentiments, including during the 2016 presidential campaign in which he questioned why Sen. John McCain was viewed as a hero for being shot down and captured during the Vietnam War.
“I like people who weren’t captured,” Trump said at the time.
The story claimed that Trump complained to then-Chief of Staff John Kelly about why Kelly and others treated McCain with such respect.
“Isn’t he kind of a loser?” Trump reportedly said.
The Washington Post, citing an unnamed person said to be familiar with the president’s comment, added that Trump believed those who served in the Vietnam War were “losers” for not getting out of military service.
I was never a big fan of John McCain, disagreed with him on many things including ridiculous endless wars and the lack of success he had in dealing with the VA and our great Vets, but the lowering of our Nations American Flags, and the first class funeral he was given by our….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 4, 2020
Trump has denied disparaging members of the U.S. military and said that while he was “never a big fan of John McCain,” he still authorized flags to be flown at half-staff and a first-class funeral to be held after his death.
