Watching this year’s Veteran’s Day wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, I was reminded of how disrespectful and un-American the views of former President Donald Trump were toward U.S. soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Here are some of the statements, as recounted or confirmed by John Kelly, Trump’s former chief of staff and a retired U.S. Marine Corps general:
- Trump repeatedly insulted wounded veterans, dead American soldiers who fought in World War I and U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
- Trump asked “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers,” later calling the 1,800 Marines killed during the bloody Battle of Belleau Wood “suckers” for dying in action.
- The former president told Kelly he didn’t want wounded veterans at a military parade and asked “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?” about soldiers who died in Afghanistan and Iraq and were buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
