Trump denies mocking US soldiers captured and killed in battle

President Trump has denied allegations that he made disparaging remarks about American soldiers who were captured or killed in battle.

According to The Atlantic magazine, Trump canceled a visit to an American cemetery outside Paris in 2018 because he said it was “full of losers.”

Since then, the accusations have been corroborated by two senior military officials in a story by the AP news agency.

But in a tweet, the president denounced the claims as “fabricated fake news.”

During a visit to France in 2018, Trump canceled a visit to the Aise-Marne American cemetery, and at the time the White House blamed bad weather.

However, four sources told The Atlantic that he rejected the idea of ​​visiting because the rain would ruffle his hair and he did not think it was important to honor the war dead in the United States.

During the same trip, the president allegedly also referred to 1,800 American soldiers who died at Belleau Wood as “fools.” The battle helped prevent a German advance on Paris during World War I and is revered by the US Marine Corps.

• Belleau Wood: Why This WWI Battle Is Still Important In America

Three sources told The Atlantic that, on at least two occasions, Trump also called former President George HW Bush a “loser” for being shot down by the Japanese while serving as a Navy pilot during World War II.

“He can’t imagine the idea of ​​doing anything for anyone other than himself,” an unidentified retired military general told The Atlantic. “He just thinks that anyone who does anything when there is no direct personal gain is a fool. There is no money to serve the nation.”

Speaking to reporters, Trump called The Atlantic report “unthinkable.”

“To think that I would make negative statements to our military and our fallen heroes when no one has done what I have done with the budgets, with the military budgets, with the salary increase of our military,” said the president. “It is a shameful situation for a magazine that is a terrible magazine.”

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Trump has come under fire in the past for his comments on military veterans. In 2015, he questioned the heroism of Republican Senator John McCain, who was captured during the Vietnam War.

“I like the people who were not caught,” he said during an interview.

Trump received five deferrals of a military draft during the Vietnam War: four for academic reasons and one for bone spurs, a buildup of calcium in the heels.

Trump also called McCain a “loser” for his failed run as president of the United States in 2008, something he falsely claimed he had never done in a tweet on Tuesday.

“I supported him for president, raised a million dollars for him, that’s a lot of money. I supported him, he lost, he disappointed us, you know he lost. So I never liked him that much after that, because I don’t like losers.” Trump said in an interview in 2015.

US troops pull out a ‘dumb’ bomb

Tara McKelvey Analysis, BBC News, Washington

People in the military world are in awe of Trump’s comments about American soldiers killed in action, the latest in a series of startling remarks by a commander-in-chief.

“What an ignorant, ignorant fool,” says Gary Solis, a former judge in the United States Marine Corps, adding, “I pity anyone who lacks common understanding and appreciation for military service.”

Mr. Solís’ reaction is shared by many of those who have served in the military and also by those who are currently in the United States military.

Trump’s alleged comment about the slain soldiers is also testing the determination of the military that supports him.

His popularity with US troops has fallen, according to the Military Times: since last year, those who have a favorable opinion of him has dropped from 42% to 38%. His latest comments could alienate more of them.

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