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Anger grows over Trump’s claims about past presidents and fallen troops

TitanTiger

By TitanTiger
in Politically Speaking

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TitanTiger Founding Father

TitanTiger 20,472

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‘Disrespectful lie’: Anger grows over Trump’s claims about past presidents and fallen troops

Anger sparked by President Trump’s false claims on Monday that Barack Obama and other past presidents did not reach out to families of fallen American troops swelled into the night.

Near midnight Monday, former U.S. attorney general Eric H. Holder Jr., who in 2009 accompanied Obama to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to witness the return of 18 Americans killed in Afghanistan, tweeted for Trump to “stop the damn lying.” He added, “I went to Dover AFB with 44 and saw him comfort the families of both the fallen military & DEA.”

 

Stop the damn lying - you’re the President. I went to Dover AFB with 44 and saw him comfort the families of both the fallen military & DEA.

 
Retired Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2011 to 2015, said in a tweet that Obama and President George W. Bush “and first ladies cared deeply, worked tirelessly for the serving, the fallen, and their families,” adding: “Not politics. Sacred Trust.”
 

POTUS 43 & 44 and first ladies cared deeply, worked tirelessly for the serving, the fallen, and their families. Not politics. Sacred Trust.

 
Trump sparked the controversy with a casual comment in a disjointed news conference Monday in the Rose Garden.
 
When asked by a reporter why he had not spoken publicly about the four U.S. Special Forces members who were killed in an ambush in Niger nearly two weeks ago, Trump responded that he was going to send their families letters, which were drafted over the weekend, and he justified his behavior by referring to the practices of other presidents.
 
“If you look at President Obama and other presidents, most of them didn’t make calls. A lot of them didn’t make calls. I like to call when it’s appropriate, when I think I am able to do it,” he said. The Washington Post’s Fact Checker judged his description “false.”
AP_091029070637-1024x768.jpg&w=1484
President Barack Obama salutes as a team carries the remains of Army Sgt. Dale R. Griffin of Terre Haute, Ind., at Dover Air Force Base in October 2009. (Susan Walsh/AP)
Though he later seemed to take back the claim, saying that Obama “probably did” write letters “sometimes,” there was an immediate reaction that intensified through the night.
Ben Rhodes, who served as Obama’s deputy national security adviser, called the statement “an outrageous and disrespectful lie even by Trump standards.”
 

This is an outrageous and disrespectful lie even by Trump standards. Also: Obama never attacked a Gold Star family. https://twitter.com/nycsouthpaw/status/919988979373608961 …

 
 
“Also: Obama never attacked a Gold Star family,” Rhodes added, likely referring to Trump’s lashing out at Khizr Khan, the father of a soldier killed in Iraq. Khan criticized Trump at the Democratic National Convention last year.
 
Several people tweeted a piece written by Dana Perino, who served as President George W. Bush’s press secretary, recalling a day when Bush visited wounded service members at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and “meekly accepted the rage of a grieving mother,” as David Frum, a former Bush speechwriter,  tweeted.

"When my brother was killed, Pres Bush listened while I screamed at him & then held me as I sobbed,” tweeted a user named Delilia O’Malley.

Enough other people tweeted stories, videos and photographs of former presidents comforting grieving families that the social media platform curated them into a Twitter Moment.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders later said Trump “wasn’t criticizing predecessors, but stating a fact. When American heroes make the ultimate sacrifice, presidents pay their respects. Sometimes they call, sometimes they send a letter, other times they have the opportunity to meet family members in person.”

 

Trump just can't stop slandering President Obama. But his claim today that Obama didn't call the families of fallen soldiers is a new low.

 
 
 
 

Simple.

President of the United States should not:

1. Lie knowingly & repeatedly;
2. Lie about former POTUSes;
3. Lie about dead soldiers.

 
 
 

 

 
 
MnmgayFRoCcLOg3Y.jpg
 

President Obama honored our fallen heroes & their families.

Watch what respect for our soldiers & our military tradition should look like.

 
 
 
 

What a gross, slanderous thing for Trump to say that other presidents didn't call the families of dead soldiers.

 
 
 
 
 

Per @maddow

Not only did Obama contact families of fallen soldiers, also contacted families of vets who committed suicide#TrumpLiesMatter

 
 
 

When Obama was actually president, the knock on him in Republican circles was that he was *excessively* involved in mourning dead soldiers.

 
 
 
I1ZH9AeGK5RKI6pJ.jpg
 

This is what Trump accused Obama of not doing for Gold Star families and when our soldiers pay the ultimate price!

 
 

WH says POTUS was "stating a fact" about former presidents including Obama not calling families of fallen soldiers. Fact check: False.

 
 
 

 

 
 

.@realDonaldTrump-Not only did @BarackObama call families of fallen soldiers THE DAY THEY WERE NOTIFIED, he met face to face with families.

 
 

I still can't fathom the psychosis that would require someone to lie about his predecessors not calling the families of fallen soldiers.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/10/17/disrespectful-lie-anger-grows-over-trumps-claims-that-past-presidents-didnt-honor-fallen-troops

 

Every time Trump tells a filthy lie and his supporters say nothing, they are accomplices to the lie.  

President Trump owes President Obama a full and public apology.  No excuses.

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aujeff11 Founding Father

aujeff11 6,243

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20 minutes ago, Barnacle said:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-trump-purple-heart-george-bush-perspec-20160803-story.html

Don't know if I can imagine Trump doing this. Moving story. 

 

Bush was a good CIC imo.

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Proud Tiger Founding Father

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Obama didn't call Gen. John Kelley when his son was killed in Afghanistan.

It's what is in a Presidents heart that matters when he meets caskets at the airport and only he knows that. Hillary had the gall to meet caskets of the guys killed in Benghazi.

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AUDub Founding Father

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1 hour ago, aujeff11 said:

Bush was a good CIC imo.

I have my doubts about his efficacy as a president, but very little that he truly cared about the troops and their families. 

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AUDub Founding Father

AUDub 11,147

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1 hour ago, Proud Tiger said:

Obama didn't call Gen. John Kelley when his son was killed in Afghanistan.

It's what is in a Presidents heart that matters when he meets caskets at the airport and only he knows that. Hillary had the gall to meet caskets of the guys killed in Benghazi.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/latest-obama-hosted-kelly-breakfast-son-died-50538345

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aujeff11 Founding Father

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1 minute ago, Bigbens42 said:

I have my doubts about his efficacy as a president, but very little about he truly cared about the troops and their families. 

Truth

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homersapien Founding Father

homersapien 11,366

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What do you expect? 

Trump's greatest success was as reality show host,  primarily because that job complimented his entire persona. Remember the "calm before the storm" comment after his dinner with the military staff?  Classic reality show teaser.  Tune in next week....

Trump needs evil enemies  - Obama, Hillary, McCain, etc. - as opponents in his charade.  He exalts himself with baseless comparisons and is always ready to blame others to divert attention. He doesn't give one whit for the truth. 

The presidency is totally beyond him.  He doesn't understand the issues, much less the problems.  So he exists in a self-created world where he is comfortable.  In this world, it's only about him.       

 

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TitanTiger Founding Father

TitanTiger 20,472

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San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich tells it like it is:

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"This man in the Oval Office is a soulless coward who thinks that he can only become large by belittling others. This has of course been a common practice of his, but to do it in this manner — and to lie about how previous presidents responded to the deaths of soldiers — is as low as it gets. We have a pathological liar in the White House, unfit intellectually, emotionally, and psychologically to hold this office, and the whole world knows it, especially those around him every day."

 

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TitanTiger Founding Father

TitanTiger 20,472

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I'm more and more convinced the main reason this oaf has been "successful" in business is that he was born on third base.  If he had to come from nothing without all the built in advantages of wealth and family prestige, his mouth would have never allowed him to get any traction.  The vast majority of people can't be this insensitive and tone deaf and make it in life.

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TitanTiger Founding Father

TitanTiger 20,472

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Oh, and before someone offers the lame excuse that he's not a "professional politician," that is not what is needed or required in this situation.  Simply being human with a basic level of ability to understand how the person you're talking to may feel is all that's needed.

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alexava Founding Father

alexava 6,973

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I predict a tweet later, something along the line of..." I prefer to meet families of soldiers who " don't " get themselves killed" . 

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Proud Tiger Founding Father

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The military gets it. They voted by a good margin for Trump and would if the election were held today. They don't mess around on message boards. They see reality and know Trump cares about them. They see he is putting money where his mouth is by making a big increase in the DOD budget for new ships. planes, and updated equipment across the board. They also know he cares about them in getting good medical care.

Carrry on Trump haters......make my day!!!

 

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TitanTiger Founding Father

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5 minutes ago, Proud Tiger said:

The military gets it. They voted by a good margin for Trump and would if the election were held today. They don't mess around on message boards. They see reality and know Trump cares about them. They see he is putting money where his mouth is by making a big increase in the DOD budget for new ships. planes, and updated equipment across the board. They also know he cares about them in getting good medical care.

Carrry on Trump haters......make my day!!!

Yes they voted for him over Hillary.  No, you do not know if they would vote for him if there was an election today because you can't say who'd be running against him.  While it may tell you who they, at the time, preferred between him and Hillary it doesn't really tell you how much they like him.

At least one pre-election poll (before the nominations were decided) showed Trump as the first choice of about 27% and Bernie Sanders at about 22% of those who were serving or had served in the military.  So there's really no telling.

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shabby Founding Father

shabby 1,956

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And it continues. According to the Washington Post Trump called another parent of a fallen twenty-two-year-old soldier. He promised to give $25,000 to support the family and also arrange a fundraiser for the family. According to parents he did neither. Is it possible that Trump isn't a liar perhaps he just has dementia and doesn't remember half the crap he promises.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-offered-a-grieving-military-father-25000-in-a-call-but-didnt-follow-through/2017/10/18/8d4cbc8c-b43a-11e7-be94-fabb0f1e9ffb_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_goldstar-410pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.acdb4c8be71d

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HVAU Mentor

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10 minutes ago, shabby said:

And it continues. According to the Washington Post Trump called another parent of a fallen twenty-two-year-old soldier. He promised to give $25,000 to support the family and also arrange a fundraiser for the family. According to parents he did neither. Is it possible that Trump isn't a liar perhaps he just has dementia and doesn't remember half the crap he promises.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-offered-a-grieving-military-father-25000-in-a-call-but-didnt-follow-through/2017/10/18/8d4cbc8c-b43a-11e7-be94-fabb0f1e9ffb_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_goldstar-410pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.acdb4c8be71d

Either way, I'm hoping his power is being appropriately checked by his administration and Congress.

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AUDub Founding Father

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21 hours ago, Bigbens42 said:

I have my doubts about his efficacy as a president, but very little that he truly cared about the troops and their families. 

Let's expand on this, as it struck me that Trump has done more for the reputations if Bush and Obama than anyone else. 

Theyboth had at least a basic understanding of how the US government works, and they did both make efforts to work within its confines (with Obama being thwarted a lot). But there was never an impression that either of them did not respect the rule of law or the Constitution. There was never an impression that they were trying to feather their own nests, either.

In W's case, it has really been his demeanor since leaving office which has most impressed me. In this period, he has shown a level of character which, by way of contrast, remains totally absent in Dick Cheney. And one can (at least I can) see in Bush a real empathy for others which I've never seen in Rove. 

But Trump is never going to be reflective. He's never going to feel much empathy for others. He's never going to have "character" because that word and attribute refer to honesty, to transparency, to consistency, to dependability and to an innate sense of community membership.

For conservatives, has your opinion on Obama changed or evolved? 

Same for liberals, same question, only with W.

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aujeff11 Founding Father

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1 hour ago, Bigbens42 said:

Let's expand on this, as it struck me that Trump has done more for the reputations if Bush and Obama than anyone else. 

Theyboth had at least a basic understanding of how the US government works, and they did both make efforts to work within its confines (with Obama being thwarted a lot). But there was never an impression that either of them did not respect the rule of law or the Constitution. There was never an impression that they were trying to feather their own nests, either.

In W's case, it has really been his demeanor since leaving office which has most impressed me. In this period, he has shown a level of character which, by way of contrast, remains totally absent in Dick Cheney. And one can (at least I can) see in Bush a real empathy for others which I've never seen in Rove. 

But Trump is never going to be reflective. He's never going to feel much empathy for others. He's never going to have "character" because that word and attribute refer to honesty, to transparency, to consistency, to dependability and to an innate sense of community membership.

For conservatives, has your opinion on Obama changed or evolved? 

Same for liberals, same question, only with W.

It’s kinda like the Dane Cook movie “My Best Friend’s Girl. 

Dane’s character was paid to act like a dick to women just so the average joe’s would all of a sudden be preferable. I can imagine the next President will enjoy an extended Honeymoon period.

I always liked Obama. I thought Bush was a great CIC. I was just a kid in 2001 but after the fact, I started watching the news everyday and really started paying attention. The more I got older and as the years continued on after 2001, Bush slowly became the president that didn’t hang the moon for me. I didn’t appreciate Bush charging veterans during 44’s presidency to hear his speech either. Those were still his soldiers, out of the office or not. 

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DKW 86 Founding Father

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On 10/17/2017 at 7:22 PM, homersapien said:

Trump needs evil enemies  - Obama, Hillary, McCain, etc. - as opponents in his charade.  He exalts himself with baseless comparisons and is always ready to blame others to divert attention. He doesn't give one whit for the truth. 

 

I think that could easily be said of most politicians in America today. They all paint their opponents as Evil. 

THEY ALL DO.

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