A former Marine staff sergeant who asked Donald Trump to address veteran suicide rates during a town hall Monday morning said the candidate’s answer was “thoughtful and understanding,” despite the criticism he received for his response.
The Republican presidential nominee had come under fire for appearing to suggest that veterans who suffer from mental health problems and end up committing suicide aren’t “strong” like the ex-service members who “can handle” what they saw in combat.
“I think it’s sickening that anyone would twist Mr. Trump’s comments to me in order to pursue a political agenda,” Staff Sgt. Chad Robichaux, the founder of a faith-based counseling program for veterans in California, said in a statement obtained by the Washington Examiner.
“I took his comments to be thoughtful and understanding of the struggles many veterans have, and I believe he is committed to helping them,” he added.
Robichaux said the purpose of his question was to see if Trump would be open to taking a “more holistic approach to health care for veterans” if he is elected president in November. Trump has often promised to give veterans a direct line to the White House so they can voice their concerns about issues with the existing VA health care system.
“I interpreted [Trump’s] answer to affirm that the system is broken and he would take the necessary steps to address it,” said Robichaux, who was diagnosed with PTSD after returning home from eight combat tours in Afghanistan said of Trump. “It’s a very important issue to me, which is why I was thankful for the opportunity to ask Mr. Trump about it directly.”
