Zippyjuan
10-16-2017, 05:18 PM
http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/16/politics/trump-niger-green-berets/index.html
Breaking his public silence about four American soldiers killed during an ambush in Niger, President Donald Trump said Monday he'd penned personal letters to their families and planned to phone them later this week.
He also claimed, without merit, that his predecessors hadn't written or called the families of slain American troops during their tenures, though the tradition of presidents reaching out after US servicemen are killed in action is long-established.
Trump said he'd written the letters over the weekend, and suggested they'd be mailed early this week. He was speaking 12 days after the ambush -- the deadliest combat incident since he took office.
"I felt very, very badly about that," Trump said during a press availability in the Rose Garden. "I always feel badly. It is the toughest calls I have to make are the calls where this happens, soldiers are killed."
He then claimed that other commanders in chief hadn't reached out to families of Americans killed in action, indicating he'd been told as much by the generals who serve in his administration.
"All I can do is ask my generals," Trump said. "Other presidents did not call, they would write letters, and some presidents didn't do anything."
"I like, when I can, the combination of a call and also a letter," he said.
Barack Obama, during his term in office, wrote letters and made calls to families of killed Americans, according to former administration officials. He also made frequent visits to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to spend time with wounded troops.
George W. Bush also wrote letters to families of troops killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which began during his tenure.
When pressed about his assertion, Trump backtracked slightly.
More at link.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-forced-walk-back-ridiculous-falsehood-about-obama
He added that he’s written letters to those families, but they haven’t been sent yet.
Let’s note for context that since the ambush that claimed those four servicemen’s lives, Trump has golfed five times.
Breaking his public silence about four American soldiers killed during an ambush in Niger, President Donald Trump said Monday he'd penned personal letters to their families and planned to phone them later this week.
He also claimed, without merit, that his predecessors hadn't written or called the families of slain American troops during their tenures, though the tradition of presidents reaching out after US servicemen are killed in action is long-established.
Trump said he'd written the letters over the weekend, and suggested they'd be mailed early this week. He was speaking 12 days after the ambush -- the deadliest combat incident since he took office.
"I felt very, very badly about that," Trump said during a press availability in the Rose Garden. "I always feel badly. It is the toughest calls I have to make are the calls where this happens, soldiers are killed."
He then claimed that other commanders in chief hadn't reached out to families of Americans killed in action, indicating he'd been told as much by the generals who serve in his administration.
"All I can do is ask my generals," Trump said. "Other presidents did not call, they would write letters, and some presidents didn't do anything."
"I like, when I can, the combination of a call and also a letter," he said.
Barack Obama, during his term in office, wrote letters and made calls to families of killed Americans, according to former administration officials. He also made frequent visits to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to spend time with wounded troops.
George W. Bush also wrote letters to families of troops killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which began during his tenure.
When pressed about his assertion, Trump backtracked slightly.
More at link.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-forced-walk-back-ridiculous-falsehood-about-obama
He added that he’s written letters to those families, but they haven’t been sent yet.
Let’s note for context that since the ambush that claimed those four servicemen’s lives, Trump has golfed five times.