WASHINGTON, D.C. (NBC) – Members of the military community are sounding off over disparaging comments reportedly made by President Trump published in The Atlantic.
The article, written by Jeffrey Goldberg and citing anonymous sources, quotes the president calling Americans who died in war “losers” and “suckers.”
When asked about his comments, the president called the article a “fake story.” He said, “No, it was a fake story written by a magazine that’s probably not going to be around much longer but it was a totally fake story and that was confirmed by many people who were actually there. It was a terrible thing that somebody could say the kind of things especially to me because I’ve done more for the military than almost anybody else.”
But retired Four-Star General Barry McCaffrey and former Defense Secretary William Cohen believed it and joined Andrea Mitchell Friday with harsh words for the president.
McCaffrey said, “President Trump has been a disaster in national security. This thing is so widely reported, I find it very credible, particularly the comment to General Kelly, a marine officer killed in action in Afghanistan and essentially asking what’s in it for them, or disparaging the Marines killed in Bella Wood in World War I.”
Cohen explained, “Go to the people who served in his cabinet and ask him directly what kind of sentiments he addressed during his private moments,” Cohen said. “I think they’ll come and validate everything that has been said about his attitude towards those who sacrifice themselves in a mission not to make money, but to preserve this great democracy of ours.”
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