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US President Donald Trump has demanded the removal of a Fox News correspondent after the media reported alleged derogatory comments about downed US soldiers. Journalist Jennifer Griffin should be “fired” for reporting, Trump urged on Twitter. She has never asked the White House for an opinion, criticized Trump. Fox News is “lost” to him.
The US magazine “The Atlantic” reported on Thursday that during a trip to France in November 2018, Trump described American soldiers who had fallen in World War I as “losers” and “idiots.” According to the “Atlantic” article, Trump had rejected a planned visit to the US Aisne-Marne military cemetery near Paris on the trip to France with the words: “Why should I visit this cemetery? It is full of losers.”
In another conversation about the same trip, Trump called the more than 1,800 US soldiers buried in the cemetery “idiots,” reported “El Atlántico.” Consequently, there are four witnesses to Trump’s statements. The U.S. delegation officially stated at the time that Trump was unable to visit the cemetery because his helicopter was unable to take off due to bad weather.
Trump is said to have refused to visit the cemetery
Fox News reporter Griffin claims to have received confirmation of Trump’s remarks. Two former government officials had confirmed that Trump had refused to visit the cemetery “to honor the Americans killed in the war.” The weather did not play a role.
One of Griffin’s sources also confirmed that Trump had called American soldiers “idiots,” albeit in a different context. “When the president spoke about the Vietnam War, he said, ‘It was a stupid war. Everyone who was was foolish,” Trump said, according to the journalist.
Trump denies the allegations. On Friday, the Republican, who wants to be reelected for a second term in November, said it was a “false story.” For him, fallen soldiers are “absolute heroes”.
The president of the United States, Melania Trump, also defended her husband. The accusations “were not true,” the first lady said on Twitter. “These are very dangerous times in which anonymous sources are believed more than anything and nobody knows their motivation. This is not journalism, it is activism.”
Trump’s relationship with the country’s military is complicated. The president emphasizes time and again that he has strengthened the military and provided them with more money. However, in recent years there have been repeated differences of opinion with military leaders and open discussions with respected former generals.
