A senior Labour politician has accused Donald Trump of double standards after he claimed British troops did not fight on the Afghan War front line, despite having avoided fighting in the Vietnam War himself.
Dame Emily Thornberry, chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, joined widespread condemnation of Mr Trump’s statement that British troops were “a little off the front line” in the war in Afghanistan.
It was “an absolute insult to the 457 [British] families who lost someone in Afghanistan,” she said. ”How dare he say we weren’t on the front line. How dare he.”
She also added that the comments came from a man who had “never seen any action himself”.
President Trump famously avoided the draft for the Vietnam War five times in the 1960s and 1970s, including for a bone spur in his heel.
Dame Emily said: “We have always been there whenever the Americans have wanted us.
“How dare this man who has never seen any action, who somehow or other when there was a draft for everybody else in the US, managed to avoid it and yet is now commander in chief and knows nothing about how it is that America has been defended.
“I mean, seriously, it is an absolute insult.”
Dame Emily won loud applause for her remarks from the audience on BBC’s Question Time.
The controversy over Mr Trump’s own military record first emerged nearly a decade ago when it was revealed that he was granted five “deferrals” from the Vietnam War draft.
Mr Trump said at the time he could not recall which heel had been affected, stating the issue had been “temporary” and “minor” and “over a period of time, it healed up.”
He was challenged over the matter in a 2019 Interview by Piers Morgan, who asked him: “You were not able to serve because of a bone spur condition in your feet. Do you wish you'd been able to serve? Would you like to have served your country?”
Mr Trump responded: “I was never a fan of that war. I thought it was a terrible war, it was very far away. Nobody had heard of Vietnam… this wasn’t like fighting against Nazi Germany or Hitler. I wasn’t out on the streets marching or saying I would move to Canada, but I wasn’t a fan.”
Mr Trump argued he would have been “honoured” to have served in the US military and had since “made up for” not having done so by boosting defence spending.
Dame Emily accused Mr Trump of trying to “bully” the UK and the rest of Nato: “You wonder where this will end. It is as if he has no anchor, no off button.”
She was “proud” that Britain and its allies had joined forces and said “no Donald Trump, enough, no more of this, you are not getting Greenland, you are not introducing tariffs, you are not going to take military action, this is the line, do not cross it.”
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