Trump was scheduled to visit Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris that November but said the trip was called off because “the helicopter couldn’t fly” and that the Secret Service wouldn’t drive him to the cemetery. Griffin learned, however, that Trump “just didn’t want to go,” she wrote on Twitter, citing an unnamed source.
Griffin, a national security correspondent at Fox News, confirmed details first reported by The Atlantic’s Jeffery Goldberg that Trump called fallen American soldiers “losers” and “suckers.”
John Kelly, the former deputy White House chief of staff, defended the president, saying he has never heard Trump call anyone losers.
Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Zach Fuentes denies the report that the president called fallen military members “losers.”
Fuentes, who worked for former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, told Breitbart on Monday that he didn’t hear Trump say the cemetery, which is dedicated to Americans killed during World War I, was “filled with losers.”
Former national security adviser John Bolton appeared on “The Story” on Monday, where he disputed The Atlantic’s report, calling the claims “simply false.” He also said the president canceled his visit due to “logistical reasons.”
Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie defended President Donald Trump.
Wilkie defended Trump to CNN, saying he had “absolutely not” heard Trump make disparaging comments about US service members, and that he did not believe Trump made the reported comments about Marines.
“I would be offended too if I thought it was true,” he told CNN’s Dana Bash.
A spokesperson for The White House, Alyssa Farah, told The Atlantic this week: “This report is false. President Trump holds the military in the highest regard.
“You can put me on record denying that I spoke with the Atlantic,” Fuentes told Breitbart. “I don’t know who the sources are. I did not hear POTUS call anyone losers when I told him about the weather. Honestly, do you think Gen. Kelly would have stood by and let anyone call fallen Marines losers?”
On Saturday, Trump noted these claims were “all refuted by many witnesses. Jennifer Griffin should be fired for this kind of reporting. Never even called us for comment. @FoxNews is gone!
Jennifer Griffin of Fox News Did Not Confirm ‘Most Salacious‘ Part of Atlantic Story https://t.co/rUpbSWhHac via @BreitbartNews All refuted by many witnesses. Jennifer Griffin should be fired for this kind of reporting. Never even called us for comment. @FoxNews is gone!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 5, 2020
During a Monday press conference, the president pushed back on the allegations. “Only an animal would say things like that,” he said.
“The story is a hoax, written by a guy who’s got a tremendously bad history,” Trump said. “The magazine itself, which I don’t read, I hear is totally anti-Trump.
“He made up the story; it’s a totally made-up story.”
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