A Fox News reporter has confirmed the details of Jeffrey Goldberg’s report in The Atlantic that claimed Donald Trump disparaged American soldiers, Raw Story reported.
The corroboration comes from National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin, who created a Twitter thread documenting her sources. She claimed that two former senior administration officials supported Goldberg’s reporting.
“When the President spoke about the Vietnam War, he said, ‘It was a stupid war. Anyone who went was a sucker,’” one former senior official allegedly said.
According to Griffin, this official also heard Trump’s comment on American veterans.
“What’s in it for them? They don’t make any money,” the former television personality reportedly said.
“It was a character flaw of the President,” the person reportedly said. “He could not understand why someone would die for their country, not worth it.”
Griffin also reported on the reaction of the official to quotes from the controversial Atlantic article that Trump decried as “fake news.”
“The President would say things like that,” the former agent allegedly told her.
“He doesn’t know why people join the military. He would muse, ‘Why do they do it?’”
The Fox News reporter also spoke to an individual about Trump’s decision to skip a visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial in Belleau, France, to honor U.S. soldiers, which the administration said was due to poor weather.
“The President was not in a good mood,” the source allegedly said.
According to the source, France President Emmanuel Macron angered the U.S. leader with a comment on the reliability of the U.S.
“Why do I have to do two?” he reportedly asked the source.
The journalist also corroborated Trump’s comments during the Fourth of July military parade as well as his opposition to lowering White House flags for the late John McCain.
Fox News previously spoke to two sources, one who the publication claimed is not a fan of Trump, who were on the France trip with Trump and said that the cemetery excursion was nixed due to weather. These claims align with the White House’s explanation at the time the trip was canceled.
The sources also pushed back against The Atlantic’s claim that the U.S. leader was worried about the rain ruining his hair.
Reports of Trump’s comments have pushed social media users to resurface a tweet from Trump’s ally, Lindsey Graham , who was previously critical of disparaging comments about McCain.
Trump continues to deny the reports, and many of his allies, including White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have thrown their support behind him.