Piers Morgan And Prince Harry Demand Trump Apologize for Dissing British Soldiers Who Fought In Afghanistan

AP

British notables like Piers Morgan and Prince Harry are calling for an apology from President Donald Trump for suggesting their troops avoided battle in Afghanistan after NATO’s Article 5 was invoked over 9/11.

Trump insulted the soldiers during an interview with Fox Business in Davos this week after questioning the existence of NATO.

“We’ve never needed them,” Trump declared of NATO. “We have never really asked anything of them. You know, they’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan or this or that. And they did. They stayed a little back, little off the front lines.”

Earlier Friday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced Trump’s comments as “insulting, and frankly, appalling,” and other British politicians followed suit.

British journalist Anushka Asthana posted that she “asked the White House about Keir Starmer’s comments that Donald Trump’s suggestion re European troops staying back from the frontline in Afghanistan were insulting – and suggesting he should apologise.”

She posted a response from White House Spox Anna Kelly saying, “President Trump is right — America’s contributions to NATO dwarf that of other countries, and his success in delivering a five percentage spending pledge from NATO allies is helping Europe take greater responsibility for its own defense.”

British presenter Piers Morgan, who appeared on Trump’s show “The Apprentice” in 2008, retweeted a post from Royal Marine Ben Mcbean recuperating in the hospital with a missing leg. “Trying to convince myself and my parents I’ll be fine after fighting a bit further back from the front line,” the original post read.

Morgan wrote, “Says it all. President Trump needs to apologise – to Ben and all NATO personnel who served alongside US forces in Afghanistan, especially those killed and wounded.”

Prince Harry, who served two tours in Afghanistan and now lives in California, issued a statement calling for respect for the soldiers and their families.

I served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there. The United Kingdom alone had 457 service personnel killed. Thousands of lives were changed forever. Mothers and fathers buried sons and daughters. Children were left without a parent. Families are left carrying the cost.

Those sacrifices deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect, as we all remain united and loyal to the defense of diplomacy and peace.

Other British reactions:

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