Trump and families of fallen troops

WASHINGTON — President Trump falsely asserted on Monday that his predecessor, Barack Obama, and other presidents did not contact the families of American troops killed in duty, drawing a swift, angry rebuke from several of Mr. Obama’s former aides.

Mr. Trump was responding to a question about why he had not spoken publicly about the killing of four Green Berets in an ambush in Niger two weeks ago when he made the assertion. Rather than answering the question, Mr. Trump said he had written personal letters to their families and planned to call them in the coming week. Then he pivoted to his predecessors.

“If you look at President Obama and other presidents, most of them didn’t make calls,” Mr. Trump said during a news conference in the Rose Garden with the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell. “A lot of them didn’t make calls. I like to call when it’s appropriate.”

Mr. Trump’s assertion belied a long record of meetings Mr. Obama held with the families of killed service people, as well as calls and letters, dating to the earliest days of his presidency. Before he decided to deploy 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, Mr. Obama traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to greet the coffins of troops.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/16/us/politics/trump-obama-killed-soldiers.html

Is there anything this man won't lie about? Any level he won't stoop to?

But wait! It gets worse!

Donald Trump told the widow of a soldier killed in an ambush in Niger that her husband “knew what he signed up for”, according to a Florida congresswoman who says she heard part of the conversation on speakerphone.

Representative Frederica Wilson said she was in the car with Myeshia Johnson on Tuesday on the way to Miami international airport to receive the body of Johnson’s husband, Sgt La David Johnson, when Trump called.

When asked by Miami station WPLG if she indeed heard Trump say that, Wilson answered: “Yeah, he said that. To me, that is something that you can say in a conversation, but you shouldn’t say that to a grieving widow.” She added: “That’s so insensitive.”

Trump later claimed on Twitter that her account was false, writing:

Sgt Johnson was among four servicemen killed in the African country of Niger earlier this month. They died when militants thought to be affiliated with the Islamic State group ambushed them while they were patrolling in unarmored trucks with Nigerien troops.

Wilson, a Democrat, said she did not hear the entire conversation and Myeshia Johnson told her she could not remember everything that was said when asked it about it later.

The White House did not immediately comment.

Trump has been criticized for not reaching out right away to relatives of the four killed in Niger. On Monday, Trump said he had written letters that had not yet been mailed. His aides said they had been awaiting information before proceeding.

On Tuesday Trump doubled down on his claim that Barack Obama did not routinely call the families of servicemen and women killed in battle, despite furious pushback from allies of the former president, who called it a flat lie.

Trump boasted that “I think I’ve called every family of someone who’s died,” though the Associated Press found relatives of two soldiers who died overseas during Trump’s presidency who said they never received a call or a letter from him, as well as relatives of a third who did not get a call from him.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/18/trump-allegedly-tells-soldiers-widow-he-knew-what-he-signed-up-for

@perfect_blue: Most of the time I don't think it's so much actively lying as it is remaining purposefully uninformed so that he can convince himself that he's doing better than his predecessors. Glass ego and all that...

Who honestly cares what this guy says, he's a pathological liar who has a boner for anything anti-Obama.

Blaming Obama and other Presidents for his own failings. Typical trump and I'm not surprised at all. His ego won't let him admit he did something wrong.

Unfortunately he is the president lol.

Man if his lips are moving........he's lying. Which is not worth much except some believe what he says.

I think we should just start referring to Trump as President Piece of Shit. He lies all the time, and often times for no real reason. PPOS even has a nice ring to it when you say the shortened version.

@perfect_blue: I watched the conference. He said he wasn't sure what Obama did, and was going by what his associates told him. These articles are getting old.

That was after a journalist pressed him on being wrong lol. If he wasn't sure after being questioned on his statement, why say the statement in the first place? Not sure why you are trying to defend the indefensible. It might just be me but I find it disgusting he's trying to use grieving family members as political pawns to score points off of.

It is also incredible how he blames the generals and throws them under the bus in that statement. Nothing is ever Donnie's fault.

After he answered the question about his response to the attack, Mr. Trump was pressed later in the news conference about his claim that Mr. Obama had never called bereaved families. This time, he seemed to soften his tone.

“I don’t know if he did,” the president said. “I was told he didn’t often, and a lot of presidents don’t. They write letters.”

“President Obama, I think, probably did sometimes and maybe sometimes he didn’t,” Mr. Trump continued. “That’s what I was told. All I can do is ask my generals.”

Donnie would never blame the generals....that's like taking a knee for the anthem.......it's against the military. /sarcasm

Nor would he ever berate and insult a Gold Star family and an American hero who was captured during Vietnam!

this.

whenever he gets called out on his bullshit. his response is "that's what i was told anyway"

it's a way to deflect any actual blame for the crap he spews. "oh well, someone told me that and it was incorrect, all i did was repeat it. the real fault is on them"

he did this at like his very first press conference when he was challenged about the inauguration crowds..

w/ trump the buck stops anywhere but here

I think that's actually worse. The fact that he is so ignorant/stupid about everything is more embarrassing IMO than lying about it.

“Now, as far as other representatives, I don’t know,” he continued. “I mean, you could ask General Kelly did he get a call from Obama. You could ask other people. I don’t know what Obama’s policy was. I write letters, and I also call.”

LINK

What's going on here? Is this some kind of joke?

Those who like to check facts must be working overtime because of his statements :P

THIS. THIS SOOOOO MUCH THIS. Americans must not forget that THIS MAN is our leader for the foreseeable future. We must care what he says, does, and supports.

Trump is not sending that message to you.

He is targeting the same people as Infowars and Bannon , and the ones who distrust the government. unless i am wrong and he is a lazy bastard who have bad advisors who does not do their job.

Wasted energy. What they are doing is speaking to the people who already knows what is the truth. But at least they have a job

I must admit it is time consuming to check these things myself.

I don't think he can blame it all on his advisers...

I think you are right, but it may be a well formed strategy and not because he is just uninformed.

@Jacanuk: Just admit to yourself that this man is unfit already. We can see that you're nearly there by the twists and turns in your logic, you just need to work through the cognitive dissonance.

That's a bold strategy there. I mean, why do they want to make a fool of the president? This could hurt the republicans badly.

Yup, it´s a bold strategy but it´s also a strategy that works because it´s america.

There is a distrust against the government in most people so it works.

And when the president learns that they are fooling him? Then what?

@drunk_pi: That is appalling.

Sorry, but fake news. Way to put spin on things. The troll threads are getting old.

Think you misunderstood what i meant.

I was talking about it being a strategy from the president himself not his advisors.

@LJS9502_basic: Ever get tired of a friend always talking about how bad their ex is? That's how these articles get... We get it. You don't like the President.

@joshrmeyer: Don't Tell journalists to stop reporting his stupid actions. Tell him to stop doing stupid things.

How about his veiled threat at McCain now too. Our president is openly threatening members of his own party because of his own failures. What a small feeble man.

Funny.

You mean the former republican conservative now newly "democratic" senator Mccain? the same Mccain who just received a prestigious liberal award. A award previously given to Hillary Rodham Clinton as well.

Mccain is a joke and a disgrace to the republican party. IT´s sad that real republicans won´t have a chance of throwing him out on his ass at the midterms.

Step away from politics, jesus christ.

Never "mom".

@mattbbpl: You can't change stupid, but you certainly don't have to step down to his level. Journalist should be able to find something better to report on, but I guess this gets them viewers on the hate train.

This thread will be good. Trump tells one of his erratic lies that he has spun for the last 9 years, and suckers believe it.

Unfit is a strong word.

But he is a very unconventional president.

Ah yes, how could I forget McCain is now a democrat simply out of convenience for the Trump crowd. He's not a 'real' republican because that would ruin your narrative. Pitiful no true Scotsman if I've ever seen one.

They're reporting on statements given by the president, you know, the guy presiding over the word's most powerful country. How the hell isn't that news worthy, especially considering they're erratic nature?

We get it....you're a trump apologists no matter what he says and does.

Name 3 other conservative republicans who have gotten the liberty medal? in the last 20-30years.

Also a clear sign that Mccain has changed his own story, is that he is now considered a "moderate" by leftist mediasources.

He has never before been known to be anything but a conservative republican. Not forgetting be hailed by leftist.

It only goes back to 1989, isn't restricted to politicians, and isn't restricted to the US, but there were still three other Republicans politician winners - George Bush, Robert Gates, and Colin Powell.

Here's the full list.

@Jacanuk: I'm pretty sure you'll disagree with this, but the tea party has played a large part in dragging the Republicans to the right. They got several candidates into office who were far more ideological than the current brand to the point of making the true conservatives at the time now seem moderate.

Gregg Popovich:

This man in the Oval Office is a soulless coward who thinks that he can only become large by belittling others. This has of course been a common practice of his, but to do it in this manner — and to lie about how previous presidents responded to the deaths of soldiers — is as low as it gets. We have a pathological liar in the White House: unfit intellectually, emotionally, and psychologically to hold this office and the whole world knows it, especially those around him every day. The people who work with this President should be ashamed because they know it better than anyone just how unfit he is, and yet they choose to do nothing about it. This is their shame most of all.

Ahh , well i see they were given it because of how the act during major crises.

Bush also got it in joint with Clinton.

Still does not change the fact that Mccain a hardline conservative. has become a moderate leaning heavily democratic.

republicans moving further and further right was the plan from day 1. Its what happens when you buy democrats and they go along with the same ideas because their donors are the same as the right wingers. So the "middle" shifts and shifts and shifts. What was center in the early 90s is now considered ultra left wing and while the tea party is disgusting, they had nothing to do with this massive shift and are merely the latest device/reason for the natural shift toward the right.

If you mean right as in more conservative , then not entirely disagreeing with it.

But they didn´t move it so far that Mccain is suddenly a moderate.

What makes you say that?

What has McCain said or done differently that makes him more liberal than his early career in a significant way?

One vote does not single handily change someone's entire political stance. To suggest otherwise is idiotic. You're just coming off as a jaded cry baby that isn't self aware.

What will you say when another GOP senator doesn't tow the party line behind Trump? Would they become a democrat too? Things you simply don't agree with will just be labeled as 'leftist' and politicians will suddenly become 'democrats' in the process.

McCain has been a strong opponent to the ACA. Now suddenly when Trump is elected he is for it.

Not to mention his continued disregard for working with Trump and now even Republicans who he used to call friends. (well the media calls them that)

Nah, i don´t buy it.