Donald Trump has slammed allegations that he called U.S. soldiers killed or injured in battle “losers” and “suckers,” The Daily Mail reported, as the president said the claims were “a disgraceful situation” made by “a terrible magazine.”
A report from The Atlantic on Thursday alleged that Trump’s cancellation of his visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in November 2018 was because he was worried the rain would leave his hair disheveled. At the time, the president said inclement weather meant his helicopter could not fly, and the Secret Service would not allow him to arrange a motorcade to the event, where he was scheduled to pay tribute to fallen American soldiers.
According to the report, which credited four separate military sources, Trump repeatedly insulted the soldiers that lay in the graveyard during the trip.
“Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers,” he reportedly asked aides ahead of the planned visit.
Trump later allegedly described the American marines who sacrificed their lives in the Battle of Belleau Wood in France as “suckers.”
A source who was said to have first-hand knowledge of the president’s views on the matter claimed that Trump “doesn’t see the heroism in fighting,” according to the news outlet, while other sources claimed he is extremely anxious about death and disfigurement, and this fear manifests itself as disgust.
However, the president blasted the allegations as “fake news” as he spoke to reporters on Thursday night, The Daily Mail reported.
“It’s a total lie. It’s fake news. It’s a disgrace, and frankly it’s a disgrace to your profession,” he said.
The president added that he would be “willing to swear on anything” that he never made any derogatory remarks about the soldiers.
“There is nobody that respects them more. No animal — nobody — what animal would say such a thing?,” he said, before he reiterated that he could not attend the cemetery due to transport issues.
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows also denounced the report, as he claimed it was part of a political smear.
“It’s sad the depths that people will go to during a lead-up to a presidential campaign to try to smear somebody,” he said.
As The Inquisitr covered, Trump’s alleged disdain for the soldiers was corroborated by a number of other publications that spoke to The Atlantic’s military sources. The Washington Post also noted that one source alleged that the president told senior advisors he did not understand the value placed on finding soldiers missing in action, because they had “performed poorly and gotten caught and deserved what they got.”