Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Josh Marcus

Trump says only a ‘psycho’ would call war dead ‘suckers and losers’ – which a general says Trump did

AFP via Getty Images

Donald Trump is again denying that he called American soldiers who died in World War I in France “suckers” and “losers,” as attention has returned to the alleged comments during Joe Biden’s recently concluded state visit to the country.

During a rally Sunday in Las Vegas, the former president called the alleged comments “disinformation” reported by the “fake news.”

“Think of it from a practical standpoint, I’m standing there with generals and military people, in a cemetery and I look at them, I say, ‘These people are suckers and losers,’” he began.

“Now, think of it,” he continued, “unless you’re a psycho or a crazy person or a very stupid person—who would say that anyway—but who would say it to military people?”

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Sunset Park in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 9, 2024 (AFP via Getty Images)

In fact, no one is alleging Trump made the insults at a French cemetery.

Trump reportedly snubbed a planned commemoration for the 100th anniversary of WWI at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in Belleau, fearing his hair would become disheveled in the rain, The Atlantic reported in 2020.

“Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers,” Trump reportedly told staffers, according to the magazine. The then-president also called the more than 1,800 Marines buried there “suckers” elsewhere during his 2018 trip in France, per The Atlantic.

John Kelly, a former Marine Corps general and the White House chief of staff at the time, attended in Trump’s place.

Kelly, one of whose sons was killed in action while serving in Afghanistan in 2010, later told CNN Trump had in fact made the derogatory remarks, describing him in a statement as someone who “rants that our most precious heroes who gave their lives in America’s defense are ‘losers’ and wouldn’t visit their graves in France.”

The Biden campaign, facing an extremely tight race against Trump in November, has sought to use Trump’s comments about the military.

A recent campaign ad cuts footage of dead American servicemembers returning home in coffins with Trump’s past remarks denigrating soldiers.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.