Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’

The president ‘greets’ (deceives) families of the fallen 

Arlington National Cemetery, Memorial Day 2017

An article by Jeffrey Goldberg in The Atlantic, Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’, shows us in detail the true moral character of America's fake president.[1] What we are shown is beyond callous, despicable or disgusting. What we are shown is a combination of personal cowardice and evil. Goldberg writes:

“When President Donald Trump canceled a visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018, he blamed rain for the last-minute decision, saying that “the helicopter couldn’t fly” and that the Secret Service wouldn’t drive him there. Neither claim was true.

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, according to four people with firsthand knowledge of the discussion that day. In a conversation with senior staff members on the morning of the scheduled visit, Trump said, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” In a separate conversation on the same trip, Trump referred to the more than 1,800 marines who lost their lives at Belleau Wood as “suckers” for getting killed.

Belleau Wood is a consequential battle in American history, and the ground on which it was fought is venerated by the Marine Corps. America and its allies stopped the German advance toward Paris there in the spring of 1918. But Trump, on that same trip, asked aides, “Who were the good guys in this war?” He also said that he didn’t understand why the United States would intervene on the side of the Allies.

There was no precedent in American politics for the expression of this sort of contempt, but the performatively patriotic Trump did no damage to his candidacy by attacking McCain in this manner. Nor did he set his campaign back by attacking the parents of Humayun Khan, an Army captain who was killed in Iraq in 2004. 

Trump’s understanding of heroism has not evolved since he became president. According to sources with knowledge of the president’s views, he seems to genuinely not understand why Americans treat former prisoners of war with respect. Nor does he understand why pilots who are shot down in combat are honored by the military. On at least two occasions since becoming president, according to three sources with direct knowledge of his views, Trump referred to former President George H. W. Bush as a “loser” for being shot down by the Japanese as a Navy pilot in World War II. (Bush escaped capture, but eight other men shot down during the same mission were caught, tortured, and executed by Japanese soldiers.)

On Memorial Day 2017, Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery, a short drive from the White House. He was accompanied on this visit by John Kelly, who was then the secretary of homeland security, and who would, a short time later, be named the White House chief of staff. The two men were set to visit Section 60, the 14-acre area of the cemetery that is the burial ground for those killed in America’s most recent wars. Kelly’s son Robert is buried in Section 60. A first lieutenant in the Marine Corps, Robert Kelly was killed in 2010 in Afghanistan. He was 29. Trump was meant, on this visit, to join John Kelly in paying respects at his son’s grave, and to comfort the families of other fallen service members. But according to sources with knowledge of this visit, Trump, while standing by Robert Kelly’s grave, turned directly to his father and said, “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?” Kelly (who declined to comment for this story) initially believed, people close to him said, that Trump was making a ham-handed reference to the selflessness of America’s all-volunteer force. But later he came to realize that Trump simply does not understand non-transactional life choices.”

As usual, the White House dismisses the article as false, claiming: “This report is false. 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.”

This article was discussed at length last night by Rachael Maddow on MSNBC. The article was based on Goldberg’s conversations with multiple sources with direct knowledge of what is alleged. Maddow interviewed a former marine who reports on military affairs. That reporter said he immediately started calling his military contacts to confirm what he could not believe he read in The Atlantic article. His contacts with knowledge confirmed the content of the article.

One of the sources for Goldberg’s article, a retired four star general said about the incident with general Kelly at Arlington cemetery: “He can’t fathom the idea of doing something for someone other than himself. He just thinks that anyone who does anything when there’s no direct personal gain to be had is a sucker. There’s no money in serving the nation. Trump can’t imagine anyone else’s pain. That’s why he would say this to the father of a fallen marine on Memorial Day in the cemetery where he’s buried.”

Goldberg asked various officers about why they thought the president would hold the military in such deep contempt. Some said that believe the president wants the military must be loyal to him personally, not the constitution or the rule of law. Others offered the explanation that the president believes that nothing is worth doing without the promise of money. People who don’t pursue wealth are simply “losers.” People who fight for their country are “suckers.” Several said that the president greatly fears looking like a sucker himself and he very much fears death and disfigurement, hence the fake bone spurs for our fake president.

I am not aware of any law or rule of ethics that forces people in the government or military who witness such evil to keep it secret from the American people. It would be good if general Kelly would publicly confirm what he can comment on from his personal experience with the president. Doing that would be painful for him and subject him to the deranged monster’s wrath. Arguably that is not just his duty. It is the decent and moral thing to do. The same applies to other members of the US military who have direct knowledge.

Some people will continue to support the president in view of things like this. That reveals an aspect of the human condition and mind that could lead to destruction of modern civilization and maybe even total self-annihilation. Apparently, most of those people can see enough good when there is in fact nothing but self-interest and evil to be seen.


Footnote:
1. Fake because, in my opinion, he won the electoral college with the necessary help of Russian interference in the 2016 election (~95% personal confidence level).