Called Fallen Soldiers "Losers" and "Suckers"
Trump referred to American Marines killed in World War I as "losers" and "suckers" and refused to visit their cemetery because it was "filled with losers." His own Chief of Staff, a Gold Star father, confirmed the remarks.
The Atlantic reported on September 3, 2020 that during a November 2018 trip to France, Trump referred to American Marines who died in World War I at the Aisne-Marne cemetery as "losers" and "suckers." He reportedly asked: "Why should I go to that cemetery? It's filled with losers."
Trump cancelled a planned visit to the cemetery, officially citing rain. Multiple sources told reporters the real reason was he didn't want to get his hair wet and didn't see the point of honoring war dead.
The reports were confirmed by his own White House Chief of Staff, retired Marine four-star General John Kelly — whose own son, Second Lieutenant Robert Kelly, was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2010. Kelly confirmed that Trump had said of fallen soldiers: "I don't get it. What was in it for them?"
A senior Defense Department official and a senior Marine Corps officer also corroborated the remarks to the Associated Press. Trump had previously said publicly of Senator John McCain, a prisoner of war for five years in Vietnam: "He's not a war hero. I like people who weren't captured."