Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said Friday that he has never been “as disappointed” in his nearly half-century career in politics as he was when he learned of President Donald Trump’s remarks about troops.
Biden condemned President Trump over his reported comments about fallen American soldiers in the opening remarks of a speech he delivered at an event in Wilmington, Delaware that centered on his economic platform. He called Trump’s alleged comments about troops “disgusting” and suggested Trump apologize to families who have lost loved ones overseas. He also invoked his son’s service in the military.
“Let me be real clear, when my son was an Assistant U.S. Attorney and he volunteered to go to Kosovo while the war was going on as a civilian, he wasn’t a sucker. When my son volunteered and joined the United States military as the attorney general and went to Iraq for a year, won the bronze star and other commendations, he wasn’t a sucker,” he said. “The servicemen and women he served with, particularly those who did not come home, were not losers. If these statements are true, the President should humbly apologize to every Gold Star mother and father and every Blue Star family that he’s denigrated and insulted. Who the heck does he think he is?”
Biden: Trump's remarks about military members are "disgusting."
"Who the heck does he think he is?" pic.twitter.com/MnRugmYJd1
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) September 4, 2020
Biden chastised Trump for criticizing the “backbone of America” when asked after his speech about what he made of an article published in The Atlantic, that cited disparaging comments made by President Trump about American troops. The Atlantic reported that Trump in 2018 called late Senator John McCain a “fucking loser” and derided fallen marines who were killed in the Battle of Belleau Wood as “suckers.”
“These folks are the backbone of America,” Biden said. “They’re the heart, the soul, the grit. That’s what patriotism is about. I’ve probably — I’ve just never been as disappointed in my whole career with a leader that I’ve worked with, President or otherwise,” Biden said that if the article is true — as it appears to be based on comments the President has made — “it is absolutely damnable. It is a disgrace.”
