Donald Trump on defensive as critics seize on reports that he called fallen US veterans ‘losers’
- President cancelled visit to graves of US soldiers in France in 2018, reportedly spending time picking out artwork to ship back to White House instead
- Attacks on Trump’s ‘disrespect’ for US military – a key Republican constituency – threaten his re-election hopes in November
US President Donald Trump was on the defensive on Sunday over what critics said was a “pattern” of disrespect towards the US military following media reports that he had disparaged fallen veterans, the fallout from which could harm his campaign for re-election on November 3.
Democratic and Republican opponents alike over the weekend seized on the reports – which said that Trump had called US soldiers buried in Europe “losers” – to attack his record on the military on news shows and in political ads.
“It breaks your heart,” US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said of the reported comments in an interview on MSNBC on Sunday.
The furor over the September 3 report in The Atlantic could undermine Trump’s re-election message that he would maintain law and order amid nationwide protests, and that he strongly supports US military personnel and their families – a key Republican constituency which largely backed Trump in 2016.
Former secretary of defence Chuck Hagel, a Republican, told ABC’s This Week that the remarks, if true, were “despicable”.