The White House denied a report that President Trump once called dead soldiers “losers” and dead marines “suckers.”
An article from the Atlantic, released on Thursday, was based on the accounts of four anonymous sources, who the outlet says had “firsthand knowledge of the discussion.”
The report alleges that in 2018 when the president declined to visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris, he told senior staff members, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of the Atlantic, wrote, “Trump rejected the idea of the visit because he feared his hair would become disheveled in the rain, and because he did not believe it important to honor American war dead.”
The article adds that on the same trip, the president referred to the over 1,800 marines who had been killed in the Battle of Belleau as “suckers” for losing their lives.
“This report is false,” White House communications director Alyssa Farah told NBC News. “President Trump holds the military in the highest regard. He’s demonstrated his commitment to them at every turn: delivering on his promise to give our troops a much-needed pay raise, increasing military spending, signing critical veterans reforms, and supporting military spouses. This has no basis in fact.”
“Not a soul brave enough to put their name on any of these accusations,” tweeted White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere. “That’s because they are false. Just another anonymously sourced story meant to tear down a Commander-in-Chief who loves our military and has delivered on the promises he’s made. What a disgrace!”
