On Thursday, the Atlantic published an article claiming that President Donald Trump canceled his trip to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in 2018 because, as he reportedly asked senior members of his staff, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers,” a bombshell report that was confirmed by the AP with sources inside the Department of Defense. He also referred to the Marines who lost their lives during the World War I battle as “suckers” and, to return to his favorite word, called naval aviator-turned-senator and presidential candidate John McCain a “f*cking loser” for… why?
Trump remained fixated on McCain, one of the few prominent Republicans to continue criticizing him after he won the nomination. When McCain died, in August 2018, Trump told his senior staff, according to three sources with direct knowledge of this event, “We’re not going to support that loser’s funeral,” and he became furious, according to witnesses, when he saw flags lowered to half-staff. “What the fuck are we doing that for? Guy was a fucking loser,” the president told aides.
Trump has since responded to the Atlantic article on (where else?) Twitter.
“I was never a big fan of John McCain,” he wrote, “but the lowering of our Nations American Flags, and the first class funeral he was given by our Country, had to be approved by me, as President, & I did so without hesitation or complaint. Quite the contrary, I felt it was well deserved. I even sent Air Force One to bring his body, in casket, from Arizona to Washington. It was my honor to do so.” Trump added that he never called McCain a “a loser and swear on whatever, or whoever, I was asked to swear on, that I never called our great fallen soldiers anything other than HEROES.”
But there’s always a tweet.
Via @fitsnews: “Donald Trump: John McCain Is ‘A Loser’” http://t.co/sgiETvdUqi
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 18, 2015
The tweet links to an article from 2015, where Trump said, “I don’t like losers” in reference to McCain at an Iowa GOP event. “He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured, OK. I like people that weren’t captured.” This did not go unnoticed.
“I never called John McCain a loser.” pic.twitter.com/NdaxPnIRPd
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) September 4, 2020
For anyone who is believing Donald Trump over the multiple anonymous individuals who said that he repeatedly called John McCain a “loser,” there is literally a video of Trump calling McCain a loser! #TraitorTrumppic.twitter.com/BQ2ZMb85WN
— Heidi Krassenstein (@ALampoonLedger) September 4, 2020
Trump lied in his tweets tonight. He has called John McCain a loser. Multiple times. In tweets. On tape. Trump lied about that.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) September 4, 2020
“They’ll never find the tweet where I signal-boosted the article about how I called McCain a loser” https://t.co/YSSNVlCqFC
— The Mountain Goats (@mountain_goats) September 4, 2020
Left, Donald Trump last night claiming he never called John McCain a loser.
Right, Donald Trump in 2015 retweeting an article in which he calls John McCain a loser.
The tweet on the right is still up. pic.twitter.com/CCEYtZU8XW
— Zach Wahls (@ZachWahls) September 4, 2020
Trump tonight: "I never called John a loser"
Video: Trump calling John McCain a loser pic.twitter.com/CKOBsVoBuo https://t.co/sa2lncSJcm
— The Darkest Timeline Numbersmuncher (@NumbersMuncher) September 4, 2020
Maybe he meant to say “I don’t like the movie Loser with Jason Biggs.” Probably that.
(Via the Atlantic)