Here’s How Fox and Friends Covered Bombshell Atlantic Report on Trump’s Remarks Insulting US War Dead

Leia IdlibySep 4th, 2020, 9:40 am

Fox and Friends covered a bombshell new Atlantic report — that claimed President Donald Trump repeatedly made disparaging comments about soldiers and marines interred in an American WWI war cemetery — as though it were entirely made up.

The show aired several news readers on the story, and an interview with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo questioning him on the report.

According to the Atlantic, Trump repeatedly referred to Americans who died in war as “losers” and “suckers.” In a visit to France in 2018, the Atlantic reported that 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,” the Atlantic reported.

Fox and Friends aired a report on the story, including a clip of Trump denying that he made the remarks, calling the report a made-up lie before adding that “nobody has done” what he’s done as president.

Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor in chief of The Atlantic and author of the report, has said he stands by his reporting, which was based on multiple sources that requested anonymity. Much of the story was confirmed by the Associated Press and the Washington Post.

“Always anonymous sources, this happened, supposedly, two years ago, now we’re finding out about it 60 days before the election,” said Fox News host Pete Hegseth, incredulously. “By the way the Trump campaign has scores of people on the record saying that’s of course not what we heard or saw.”

“This story in The Atlantic has been catnip for haters of the president,” Hegseth added.

General Jack Keane noted he was not present when the comments were allegedly made, and couldn’t comment on whether the president made them. He claimed Trump has always showed respect and reverence for the military and its veterans in private and in public.

Keane did not mention the president’s past comments about Sen. John McCain, who Trump repeatedly insulted as a “loser” and mocked for being captured as a prisoner of war while serving in Vietnam.

Keane agreed with Hegseth’s case that the report was to be treated with skepticism as it relied on anonymous sources, adding that Trump has had his fair share of critics throughout his presidency.

“It’s part and parcel of what we have been observing for a number of years now, so in that sense I have never seen a president attacked as much as this one has been over a number of issues and many cases it is very inflammatory like this one is,” Keane said. “I mean, I was very critical of the previous president on foreign policy and national security and I have been with President Trump at times. Though largely I agree with the direction he is moving in. But, that’s quite different than what is being done here.”

Fox & Friends also asked Secretary of State Pompeo about the story in an interview Friday morning.

“I’ve never heard the president use the language that assertively is said in that article about him calling military suckers and losers,” Pompeo said. “I’ve never seen that — indeed, just the contrary. He has always had the deepest respect.”

Steve Doocy pressed Pompeo on why Trump did not visit the cemetery in France, and Pompeo replied, “I don’t know precisely what the decision-making was inside. I do remember there was weather. I do remember there was lots of discussion about whether they could fly out there or not.”

“I don’t know. You’ll have to ask someone who was involved in that decision-making process. I simply wasn’t,” he added. “But I can tell you I was with him for a good part of that trip if I’m thinking about this visit and the timing right. I never heard him use the words that are described in that article. I never saw it.”