Donald Trump Allegedly Called Dead Soldiers 'Losers' for Dying When Refusing to Visit Paris Graveyard Due to Rain

President Donald Trump allegedly called dead soldiers 'losers' when he refused to go to the [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

President Donald Trump allegedly called dead soldiers "losers" when he refused to go to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetary during his trip to Paris in 2018. At the time of the visit, Trump took to Twitter to blame the rain and low visibility for not being able to take a helicopter to the cemetery, but sources told The Atlantic that one reason he did not want want to go was that the wind would have messed up his hair. Trump also reportedly called the Marines who died at Belleau Wood "losers."

Trump allegedly did not want to visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetary because he thought his hair would get disheveled in the rain, four sources with firsthand knowledge told The Atlantic. On the morning of the scheduled visit, he told staffers, "Why should I go to that cemetery? It's filled with losers." During that same trip, he said the Marines killed at Belleau Wood were "suckers" for dying. Belleau Wood is where American marines and the Allies stopped Germany's advance to Paris in 1918, during World War I. Trump allegedly asked, "Who were the good guys in this war?" and did not understand why the U.S. joined the war.

After Trump's Paris trip, he defended not going to the cemetery. "By the way, when the helicopter couldn't fly to the first cemetery in France because of almost zero visibility, I suggested driving," he tweeted on Nov. 13, 2018. "Secret Service said NO, too far from airport & big Paris shutdown. Speech next day at American Cemetery in pouring rain! Little reported-Fake News!"

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Trump has made several shocking remarks about military service. In 2015, while running for the Republican presidential nomination, he said he did not think Sen. John McCain, who was a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, was a war hero. After McCain's death in August 2018, Trump reportedly told his senior staff they are "not going to support that loser's funeral," three sources told The Atlantic. Flags were still lowered to half-staff, which caused Trump to ask, "What the f— are we doing that for? Guy was a f— loser."

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After The Atlantic's story was published, White House spokesperson Alyssa Farah called the report false. "President Trump holds the military in the highest regard," Farah wrote in an email. "He's demonstrated his commitment to them at every turn: delivering on his promise to give our troops a much-needed pay raise, increasing military spending, signing critical veterans reforms, and supporting military spouses. This has no basis in fact."

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