US President Donald Trump made derogatory comments about the US Marines who lost their lives in WWI, branding them as ‘losers’ and ‘suckers’ for getting killed in action, according to a report Thursday in the Atlantic magazine. The report was later confirmed by The Associated Press and Washington Post.
The reports are spawning nationwide outrage. However, the President denies making any such comments, alleging it as a ‘fake news’ to influence the upcoming election.
This was reported by the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, who said that Trump made remarks on soldiers who were captured or killed during that time and had refused to visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018.
‘In a conversation with senior staff members on the morning of the scheduled visit, Trump said, ‘Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers’,’ the report said.
‘In a separate conversation on the same trip, Trump referred to the more than 1,800 marines who lost their lives at Belleau Wood as ‘suckers’ for getting killed,’ the Atlantic magazine added, citing four unnamed people it said had firsthand knowledge of the discussions.
White House communications director, Alyssa Farah, said on Twitter that the allegations were ‘offensive & patently false,’ while Trump campaign press secretary, Hogan Gidley, called them ‘disgusting, grotesque, reprehensible lies.’
The Atlantic story is completely false. Absolutely lacks merit. I’ve been by the President’s side. He has always shown the highest respect to our active duty troops and veterans with utmost respect paid to those who have given the ultimate sacrifice and those wounded in battle.
— Keith Kellogg (@generalkellogg) September 3, 2020
People also said that the President made comments about late senator John McCain, who was captured in Vietnam and was widely regarded as a war hero, to which the President replied via tweet.
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 said in the run-up to the 2016 election: ‘He’s not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.’
Around 1,800 US Marines died in the battle at Belleau Wood, holding off a German advance toward Paris in 1918, the media reported.
