Donald Trump's attacks on military veterans have been well-documented over the years: He's criticized John Allen as a "failed general," referred to Sen. Richard Blumenthal as "a phony Vietnam con artist," and called retired four-star general Jim Mattis "the world's most overrated general"—just to name a few examples.
On Thursday, The Atlantic published a report that laid out other alleged instances in which POTUS disparaged American servicemen and -women. Sources said he even went so far as to call fallen U.S. soldiers "losers" and "suckers."
Trump allegedly made the comments during a 2018 trip to Paris, just hours before he decided to skip his planned visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in northern France. The memorial site marks the final resting place of about 2,000 American soldiers who were killed in the 1918 Battle of Belleau Wood.
"Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers," Trump reportedly said on the morning his scheduled visit. He also allegedly referred to the fallen troops as "suckers" for getting killed in battle.
Sources also said Trump—an alleged draft-dodger—failed to see the significance of the WWI battle, and asked his team members, "Who were the good guys in this war?" He also reportedly told his aides that he didn't understand why the U.S. would enter the war to side with the Allies.
Insiders also pointed to an instance in which the president allegedly took aim at late Sen. John McCain, who was a frequent target of Trump's. Sources claim that shortly after McCain's 2018 death, Trump told senior aides the White House was "not going to support that loser’s funeral." They also said Trump became angry when he saw the flags were being flown at half-staff upon McCain's death. "What the fuck are we doing that for?" Trump allegedly said. "Guy was a fucking loser."
White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere responded to The Atlantic report via Twitter, calling it a "disgrace" and another effort to "to tear down a Commander-in-Chief who loves our military ..."
