Trump’s Doesn’t Care About US Soldiers
Yet another example.
When asked about his response to an Iranian missile attack when he was president, Trump noted that no one was injured, except for having “headaches.”
Of course, the reality is that there were injuries. As the NYT reported at the time, 34 Troops Have Brain Injuries From Iranian Missile Strike, Pentagon Says.
On Wednesday, Mr. Trump dismissed concussion symptoms felt by the troops as “not very serious,” even as the Pentagon acknowledged that a number of American service members were being studied for possible traumatic brain injury caused by the attack.
“I heard they had headaches,” Mr. Trump said at a news conference in Davos, Switzerland. “I don’t consider them very serious injuries relative to other injuries I have seen.”
This is utterly dismissive about the health of US troops. It is certainly not the most egregious example, but it is yet another one for the list.
And for the record–I am glad that there was no escalation after those attacks. But is it really too much for Trump to show some compassion for members of the armed services?
He repeated the headache line again yesterday (see Rupar and Berlatsky: Trump’s decompensation was the big debate day story h/t to charontwo for the link).
Side note: in watching the video of Trump’s remarks, I noted the following. The grift is unending on the far right these days. It is quite the business model: free programming of Trump rambling with ads in the corner. I wonder how many “Contagion Emergency Kits” they sold while Trump dismissed concussions as “headaches”?
Update: A more detailed story of the aftermath of that attack from a 2021 CBS piece: These U.S. soldiers were injured by Iranian ballistic missiles. They’ve been denied the Purple Heart award.
During the pandemic they were selling covid cure kits that included Viagra. I am betting those sold a bit better.
Steve
Joe Biden checks his watch while the coffins of dead U.S. fighting men are returned home.
Steven L. Taylor – “Nothing to see here!”
This pathological need to portray Donald Trump as something other than a normal human being who has good moments and bad moments is a real poison to our political discourse.
@TheRyGuy: The poison to our political discourse is the fact that your boy is a degenerate rapist, a convicted felon, a failed businessman who shifted into outright con man after he lost his father’s fortune and ran through every dollar legitimate investors foolishly lent him, a serial liar, and someone who has publicly and repeatedly spoken about wanting to have sex with his daughter. Trying to normalize him calls into question your own morals.
This is doing so much work to bury the fact that Trump has had so many intentional bad moments especially in comparison to his good moments. I noticed you disappeared during the discussion of his campaign abhorant behavior in Arlington. Or any of the first hand accounts from John Kelly about Trump’s calling dead service members “suckers.”
Or Trump’s desire to use the military within the US to suppress BLM protests. Or his interest in Soviet style parades.
Do you ever get tired of being a complete apologist for Trump and his lies and racist agenda? I mean you occasionally say “he’s do some bad things” but never actually talk about what those are. Instead you attack and threaten those of us who point out why is utterly unqualified for the office.
And beyond the military issues, you’ve also been completely silent about his racist and xenophobic attacks on Haitian Migrants in Springfield. It’s clear you recognize that those things are indefensible… because you don’t even attempt to defend them. You just nope out until there’s something you think you can “what about.”
It must suck knowing that you are going to vote for someone who does such undefendable things. Sorry, we make you feel so bad about your support of overt racists.
@TheRyGuy:
First, whataboutism is not a response to the contents of the post.
So you are admitting that this is a bad moment for Trump? (And I, suppose you would agree that his comments about McCain, his revulsion at wounded soldiers, and his unwillingness to do to the Normandy gravesites were also bad moments?).
I would suggest that these bad moments far outweigh the “normal” ones of which you speak.
@MarkedMan: 100%
@Matt Bernius: This really is an odd post to come in to defend Trump (while kind of not doing–sure, Trump says awful things, but I am the poison for [checks notes] directly quoting him?).
Indeed, not only did I quote him, but I quoted him from 2020 and this week, saying the same insensitive thing. This means he has had time to think about the situation and maybe reevaluate, and yet: nope!
Normal person?
Multiple bankruptcies
Multiple divorces
Draft dodger
Convicted Felon
Sells branded shoes, bibles, coins and other junk to rubes
Insults and shows no respect to many who have served, never serving himself
Cheats on current wife with porn star
I don’t know….I guess I just don’t know alot of normal people (eyes rolling out of head)
@TheRyGuy: For once, I find myself agreeing with you. Troops are the tools of warfare, human resources, if you will. As “the leader,” I find it unseemly to get overly concerned about concussions–except as they will affect the ongoing mission.
Before you get too excited, though, remember that a few days back, I was the guy saying that I’m okay committing war crimes to accomplish geopolitical ends. And acknowledging that I did and that they’re war crimes. There are reasons you don’t want me creating your nation’s foreign policy. And you probably shouldn’t want Trump creating it, either. For most of the same reasons.
@MarkedMan: Alas, guys like RyGuy, Trump, and me are normal human beings. It doesn’t take a special person to be a ghoulish sociopath, anyone can find the justification necessary to be/do anything. The difference is that, much like Luddite, I’m relieved that I didn’t become who I could have been. Not everyone shares such lucidity.
He doesn’t care about anybody. Why should US soldiers be any different?
Yes, Trump is the ultimate narcissist.
He likes the troops when they make him look good or say nice things about him. He hates the troops (and Gold Star families) when they don’t make him look good or don’t say nice things about him.
That’s the way he is with everyone. Wearing the uniform doesn’t grant any special status for him.
@Steven L. Taylor: We must never judge anyone, since we’re all just a mix of good and bad moments. /derp
Having to defend Trump really makes people look like fools. If only there was some alternative.
@Andy: Now I’m beginning to wonder about those people who think of Trump as just a “normal guy” (I saw something about a media interview of someone who described Trump this way, so I’m not just pointing at you, @RyGuy).
Is it possible that they think “he likes troops who make him look good, and doesn’t like troops when they don’t make him look good” is, for them, normal?
@just nutha: And now I see you making a very similar point to what I just did.
People with attitudes like that tend to make a mess and blame other people for the mess. I have seen this a lot. They can be fun to have lunch with. Don’t want them running the country, or much of anything that impacts me.
@TheRyGuy: Worse, Biden said no soldiers died on his watch. Sociopath or loss of memory.
@Fortune:
But don’t expect anything but contrived and ghoulish selective outrage from the bloggers and commenters here.
No morals. None. Chillingly amoral and intellectually light people in support of political power as the only goal. And yet they hypocritically criticize Trump all day long, while their faves disgrace themselves.
Politicians are what they are. It has always been so; it’s the observers who suck cxxx in support we should worry about. That’s the danger.
@MarkedMan: There’s all that, and there’s the fact that he tried to overturn the result of a legitimately conducted election. We all saw that. We know what he did. He he said “we love you all” when he finally could be buggered to do something – after it was clear the whole gambit wasn’t going to work.
So here you are, supporting a traitor to America and brushing off a threat to the foundations of our democracy.
I fail to understand why every single loyal American doesn’t find this disqualifying.
Ruth Ben-Ghiat discusses bullying in the context of politics, from the local level on up:
“Link”
@Steven L. Taylor: You write an article when Biden said he didn’t lose any US soldiers?
@Jack:
Why do you keep coming back to subject yourself to the sorts of potential abuse you face here day in and day out? It’s not going to be for the sake of the lurkers; you don’t explain your objections/gotchas thoroughly enough for lurkers to understand them.
@Jay L Gischer: When I was composing the list of a half dozen reasons Trump should be disqualified from office, I realized I could put that list aside and come up with another, equally bad, one. And another and another. And still never have a repeat.
@Fortune: let me see if I understand your point: It is wrong for Biden to not care enough about soldiers to remember any deaths, but Trump just sees Biden as a role model and is trying to copy him so anything bad Trump says about soldiers is actually Biden’s fault because Trump can’t think for himself and has no agency? Did I get that right?
@Erik: no
@Fortune:
You are correct. Biden said that during the disastrous debate that… checks note… led to the Democratic party pressuring him to drop out of the Presidential race. So the Democrats actually address that issue. I honestly don’t understand why you think pointing that out is strengthening your case.
Beyond that, are you suggesting that Biden mispeaking (or lying) is as bad as Trump’s actual actions and statements? Because if that’s the case, why are you upset about Biden but not upset about Trump?
Or do you just take @Jack’s position that might makes right, politicians are all bad, and that he has no problems voting for someone who will use racism to bully immigrants because… tax cuts and after all the Democrats are worse?
BTW, Jack, if that’s your position–rather than trying to project your moral depravity onto the rest of us, say it with your chest.
Also, I’m genuinely curious why the topic of Trump’s comments about members of the Military has trigger so many of our conservative commenters. I don’t remember any of you commenting on the Arlington Incident or other recent critiques of Trump’s behavior (i.e. the many posts about the racists lies and attacks on Haitian Immigrants in Springfield).
What is it about this topic that activates you?
@Fortune: Cool, because that didn’t make any sense to me. So what did you mean then?
@Matt Bernius:
The way our MAGA cultists went into hiding over Drama Queen Donnie and Vladimir Futon terrorizing Ohio with racist lies so vile even Ohio Republicans had to step in and chastise them. Very telling.
@Matt Bernius:
Please, do not get into a habit of sanewashing Jack!
He did not use his comment to lay out a political position or justify his voting behaviors. Instead, he chose to disparage the front pagers and the commentariat as contrived, ghoulish, chillingly amoral, and intellectually light people who see political power as the only motivation. At the same time, of course, he inferred that he was none of those things.
Of course, for those of us who are familiar with his posting history, including you, this is baths!t crazy talk.
Matt, I truly appreciate your interest in engaging in a good faith debate with the Trumpist commenters who frequent here. Keep up the good fight. Just never give them the benefit of translating their glib blather into a plausibly substantive argument. They don’t deserve your translations. Their writings reveal them as they are.
@MarkedMan: Indeed! It’s hard to come up with another figure from our history who is so comprehensively unqualified to election as President. Especially when you add that he won office.