Trump Lashes Out At Ex-Chief’s Revelation He Called Dead Soldiers ‘Losers and Suckers’ — Denies Saying It

(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Former President Donald Trump pushed back on a years-old controversy based on his former Chief of Staff John Kelly alleging Trump called dead soldiers “losers and suckers.”

Kelly is the retired Marine General who became the Department of Homeland Security Secretary under Trump and was the architect of a controversial border policy that included family separation. He then became Trump’s Chief of Staff. He was long speculated to be the source of the quotes in Jeffrey Goldberg’s article in The Atlantic that details a visit to a French cemetery filled with US soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice during WWII:

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.

The article was roundly blasted by Trump and his supporters at the time and dubbed fake news. Last October, Kelly confirmed to CNN details of a bombshell September 2020 story about the then-president referring to Americans who were wounded or gave their lives in the service of the country as “suckers” and “losers.”

Again, a decorated military veteran and architect of the very border policy that Trump consistently brags about went on the record to confirm his interaction with Trump about dead soldiers. However, given the D-Day anniversary last week that saw President Joe Biden visit Normandy, it came back up in the news cycle, and not without an assist from Trump himself, for on Sunday, he posted vigorous denials on social media.

Trump appeared to take a direct shot at his former Chief of Staff, writing, “Who would ever say such a thing? Only a sicko with an axe to grind would suggest that anyone would make such a statement.”

Trump posted on Truth Social:

Crooked Joe Biden Biden, the WORST PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, just confused Ukraine with Iraq. He actually doesn’t know the difference, probably gets money from both, a Manchurian Candidate! He also said, in another Democrat Disinformation “hit job” like Russia, Russia, Russia, the “51 Intel Agents,” or the Fake FISA Reports, that I called dead American Soldiers, “losers and suckers.” Who would ever say such a thing? Only a sicko with an axe to grind would suggest that anyone would make such a statement. They even made these horrific words into an advertisement, which shows how desperate they are. No President, especially “dumb as a rock” Joe Biden, has done more for our Military than DONALD J. TRUMP. The Military hates Crooked Joe, and all of the failure he represents. Take down the Fake Ad, Joe, and stop the unprecedented Weaponization of “Justice” against your Political Opponent. You are destroying our Country!

Roughly an hour later, Trump then posted:

Obviously, I never said that dead Soldiers are “losers and suckers.” Who would say such a thing? It was MADE UP DISINFORMATION by Radical Left Democrats, and Trump Haters, working with a failing Magazine, just like Russia, Russia, Russia, Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine, FISA Fraud, 51 Intel Agents, and so much more. Anytime you see that despicable FAKE statement used, remember that it comes from the FASCIST SCUM that is destroying our Country. Nobody has done more for the Military than Donald J. Trump – I completely Rebuilt it, and added SPACE FORCE to boot! VOTE FOR TRUMP – MAGA2024!