Trump's Excuse for Not Consoling Families of 4 Soldiers

President Trump participates in a serial of radio interviews in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Role Building on Tuesday. Among the topics he discussed was his and by presidents' policies on reaching out to families of service members who have died. Puddle/Getty Images hide caption

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President Trump participates in a series of radio interviews in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Function Building on Tuesday. Amongst the topics he discussed was his and past presidents' policies on reaching out to families of service members who have died.

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Updated on Oct. 18 a 4:25 p.m. ET

The pushback — and the outrage — began immediately.

Trump was asked on Mon why he had non yet commented on the deaths of four U.S. soldiers who were ambushed during a mission in Niger on Oct. 4. In his answer, Trump turned attention to the policies of past presidents and their contact with families of service members who have died.

On Tuesday, he followed his initial comments with more assertions, offering a specific instance. That prompted further rebuttal from staff of previous administrations.

Meanwhile, a congresswoman said Trump told the widow of one of the soldiers killed in Niger that he "must have known what he signed up for."

Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., tells NBC6 that she overheard the telephone call to Myeshia Johnson on Tuesday on a car speakerphone, as the two women were heading to Miami International Airdrome to meet the trunk of Johnson'southward husband, Sgt. La David Johnson.

In a tweet Wednesday forenoon, Trump denied he said that, calling Wilson'due south account "fabricated" and adding, "I take proof." Press secretary Sarah Sanders clarified that there was no recording of the call, merely that at that place were several people in the room at the time, including retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, Trump'south main of staff.

Even so by midday Midweek, the soldier's mother, Cowanda Jones-Johnson, had backed up the congresswoman's account. Jones-Johnson said she was also in the auto listening to the call and told The Washington Mail service, "President Trump did disrespect my son and my daughter and also me and my hubby."

At a Rose Garden news conference on Mon, a reporter had asked Trump: "Why haven't we heard anything from y'all then far about the soldiers that were killed in Niger? And what do you lot accept to say most that?"

The president responded, "I've written them personal messages."

Merely as he connected, his response got less clear.

"They've been sent, or they're going out tonight, but they were written during the weekend," Trump said.

And then came a hope of more.

"I volition, at some betoken during the period of time, call the parents and the families — because I take washed that, traditionally," he added. He spoke of how making such phone calls is a "difficult matter."

Then came the moment that is vintage Trump. He turned information technology into an attack on his predecessors in function.

"If you look at President Obama and other presidents, most of them didn't make calls," he said. "A lot of them didn't make calls."

The facts simply don't back up such a argument.

Trump'due south words prompted measured responses from the offices of the past ii presidents.

A former Obama White House official told NPR on Monday, "President Trump's merits is incorrect. President Obama engaged families of the fallen and wounded warriors throughout his presidency through calls, letters, visits to Section 60 at Arlington, visits to Walter Reed, visits to Dover, and regular meetings with Gold Star families at the White Business firm and across the state."

On Tuesday, George W. Bush'due south spokesman wrote in an electronic mail, "I don't have a statement from President Bush; I can only ostend that of course he wrote, called, and visited privately with hundreds if not thousands of families of the fallen."

Terminate the damn lying - you lot're the President. I went to Dover AFB with 44 and saw him comfort the families of both the fallen military & DEA. pic.twitter.com/HhE4KbTBkJ

— Eric Holder (@EricHolder) October 17, 2017

Twitter was too full of reaction from former Bush-league and Obama White House staffers, including photographs and emotional stories of meetings with soldiers' families at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre in Washington, D.C., and of the former commanders in chief being nowadays for the arrival of the remains of soldiers at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

Many besides used social media to share quondam President George Westward. Bush-league printing secretary Dana Perino's past recollections of visiting troops and their families in the hospital — some were gravely wounded; some wouldn't survive their injuries. In April 2015, Perino shared that scene with NPR'south Forenoon Edition:

"Near every family unit was just delighted that the president was there and so honored that the commander in primary would stop by. I wasn't sure what it would be like, and on my kickoff trip there, I witnessed that for about the commencement 25 people he visited. And then we went in to this room, and the mom and dad were at that place and the female parent was distraught.

"Her son was on life support, and from what I gathered and could tell, that his prognosis — that it was unlikely he would survive. And the mother was very distraught and she'southward crying and the husband was trying to calm her, and the president was at that place and he also tried to calm her. Then she yelled: 'Why are your children OK, merely my son is here?' And the president stopped trying to comfort her because she was inconsolable.

"But he didn't get out. He stood there, well-nigh as if he needed to absorb it and to understand it. Commanders in principal make actually tough decisions, and we went on to the adjacent rooms, and I recollect those existence experiences where the families were very happy to see him. Only when we got on Marine 1 to fly back to the White Firm, the president was looking out the window, and so he looked at me and he said, 'That mama sure was mad at me.' And then he looked out the window and he said, 'And I don't arraign her a bit.' And a tear rolled down his cheek, but he didn't wipe information technology away, so we flew back to the White Business firm."

On Tuesday, the White House remained on the assail on this result, defending Trump'south initial comments, but likewise including a specific example of his ain chief of staff.

Kelly lost his son in Afghanistan in November 2010. 2nd Lt. Robert Michael Kelly was killed when he stepped on a state mine while on patrol with his platoon of Marines. He was posthumously promoted to first lieutenant.

In an interview with Play tricks News Radio on Tuesday morn, Trump implied that former President Barack Obama never called Kelly after his son's death.

"I said it very loud and articulate yesterday. The hardest thing for me to do is [make those calls]," Trump said. "At present, as far every bit other representatives, I don't know. I hateful, you could ask Gen. Kelly did he become a call from Obama?"

He added, "I'm not speaking for other people. I don't know what Bush did; I don't know what Obama did. You could notice out easily what President Obama did. All you have to practice is ask the armed forces people, but I believe his policy was somewhat dissimilar than my policy. I can tell you my policy is I've called every ane of them."

Later on the interview, a current White House official told NPR that Obama did non phone call Kelly later his son was killed in activeness.

In May 2011, the Obama White House did host a breakfast for Gold Star families, families who lost a loved one serving in the armed services. A source familiar with that breakfast confirms not only that Kelly attended but besides that he and his wife were listed every bit existence seated at a table with the first lady at that consequence.

On Tuesday evening, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump had spoken to the four families of the soldiers killed in Niger.

"He offered condolences on behalf of a grateful nation and assured them their family's extraordinary sacrifice to the country will never exist forgotten," the statement said.

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Source: https://www.npr.org/2017/10/17/558368880/trump-s-claim-is-wrong-comments-on-presidents-calls-to-military-families-rebutte

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