Friday, September 04, 2020

Donald Trump: The draft dodger's contempt for the military

160502_POL_Trump-Boomer
Michael Gaughan

From Jeffrey Goldberg's story in the Atlantic:

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...

Jonathan Chait on Goldberg's evidence:

...The Associated Press, New York Times and Washington Post quickly confirmed Goldberg’s reporting. 

The Post added several related details, in addition to Trump describing fallen soldiers as “losers.” 

“In one account, the president told senior advisers that he didn’t understand why the U.S. government placed such value on finding soldiers missing in action because they had performed poorly and gotten caught and deserved what they got, according to a person familiar with the discussion.”

What’s more, other sources have claimed that Trump dismisses the value of military service. Michael Cohen testified in 2018 that Trump admitted faking bone spurs to avoid serving in Vietnam and told him, “You think I’m stupid? I wasn’t going to Vietnam.” 

Mary Trump, in a previously recorded interview, said Trump threatened to disown one of her[sic] sons if he enlisted in the military. (It’s significant that she offered this account before Goldberg’s story, and thus could not have crafted it to fit a narrative created by Goldberg)...

Rob's comment:
Just more evidence---did we really need more?---that Donald Trump is a contemptible human being and a suitable leader of the vile Republican Party.


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4 Comments:

At 2:08 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Associated press

https://apnews.com/52462add34fd45ecb16319b564045d61

 
At 11:47 AM, Blogger Rob Anderson said...

That's the official White House version of events. It includes this:

"Attending in Trump’s place were the White House chief of staff, retired Marine Gen. John Kelly; the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Gen. Joe Dunford; and several members of the White House staff. The Battle of Belleau Wood was a critical conflict in the war and a pivotal encounter in Marine Corps history."

Kelly, Dunford, and others managed to make their way to the cemetery, while Trump was busy having lunch with the French President.

 
At 7:08 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I see. So the secret service tells the guy he can’t go citing weather and safety logistics. And yes those emails were made public.

And you quote those that attended in his place as though that must mean he called them losers. Such a lawyer we have here. Go join Biden’s 600 man lawyer team they can use another.

Under your lame ass logic I should be quoting streetsblog calling you a jackass. It must be true?

 
At 1:36 PM, Blogger Rob Anderson said...

Is there anything Trump could do or say that could possibly shake your faith? He's a sexual predator who of course has always cheated on his wives. He cheats on his taxes and has a shaky relationship with the facts and reality.

He's a contemptible human being. And, importantly, that's clear even before we learn the truth about his relationship with Russia, which, thanks to Rod Rosenstein, we won't know until after he leaves office, at which time he is likely to be prosecuted.

It's not that he lies so much but that he doesn't really care whether what he says is true or not. It's just not relevant to him. Conservative George Will said it best: Trump doesn't know what it is to know something. Just as important, he doesn't care!

His hairdo alone is a tip-off that he lacks personal integrity. Why would an old man cling to a hair style he adopted as a teenager?

 

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