Will anti-military rhetoric — including calling US troops killed in combat ‘suckers’ and ‘losers’ — be enough to sink Donald Trump in the November election?
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In a damning expose from last Thursday, The Atlantic published first-hand reports from an anonymous high-ranking administration official that ‘The Donald’ regularly made derogatory comments about fallen US soldiers.
It told the story of how Trump canceled a 2018 visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris because he didn’t want his hair to become disheveled in the rain. He also didn’t think it was all that important to honor American war dead. It told of how Trump referred to former President George H. W. Bush as a “loser” for being shot down by the Japanese as a Navy pilot in World War II. It also told the tale of Trump joining Gen. John Kelly during a visit to the Arlington National Cemetery gravesite of his son, Robert Kelly, a fallen soldier. According to the report, an unsympathetic Trump turned directly to Gen. Kelly and said, “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?”
Anti-military comments from Trump should come as a surprise to no one. He previously demanded that wounded veterans be kept out of military parades. Additionally, while a candidate for president in 2015, he also belittled purple heart recipient, the late Sen. John McCain, saying: “He’s not a war hero. I like people who weren’t captured.”
As expected, Donald Trump denied all allegations. However, The Atlantic story has since been corroborated by CNN, the Associated Press, the New York Times, The Washington Post, and even Fox News. Interestingly, the news agencies listed Gen. Kelly as the likely source of the article. Perhaps even more interestingly, the general has since gone radio silent and refused to deny his involvement, effectively admitting it was indeed him.
Now, active and non-active military personnel are going public with disdain for Trump’s anti-military rhetoric, even letting it be known their votes will now go to Joe Biden.
In a now-viral video statement, retired Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton delivered a stinging message to Donald Trump. “You’re no patriot,” he said. “So, Mr. Trump, come 3 November, we’re all voting for a real patriot: Joe Biden. Our country’s honor depends on it.”
Captain Sully Sullenberger, who served as a fighter pilot in the US Air Force before becoming the hero who landed a US Airways plane on the Hudson River in 2009, called Trump “selfish” and “a coward,” adding he is “completely unfit for” and having “no respect for the office he holds.”
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9/9 We owe it not only to those who have served and sacrificed for our nation, but to ourselves and to succeeding generations to vote him out. https://t.co/REXXzg90Pw @JeffreyGoldberg @TheAtlantic
— Sully Sullenberger (@Captsully) September 4, 2020
A litany of military veterans from across the country have since rapidly followed suit, begging the question: Could the loss of military votes from traditionally Republican-voting service members cost Donald Trump the election?
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It’s 2:45 am and the retired Marine who lives behind me just took his Trump sign down, walked it to the street and threw it in the garbage.
— Alan! (@o2bnobx) September 4, 2020
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MAYDAY! MAYDAY!
Only days after the anti-military story broke, the weekend for Trump and his MAGA supporters took an unexpected nosedive.
When 8,000 Trumpies decided to host their own Trump Parade on Lake Travis in Austin, Texas on Saturday, little did they know their idea would soon be (ahem) all washed up.
The Trump Parade began with an over-abundance of boats on the lake, which generated what is known as a wake (intense waves) and caused multiple vessels to sink.
“It was like an ocean out there. I’m surprised I survived it. We didn’t make it all the way around the parade, because it was just too much,” said parade participant Danielle Severn. “The boats were mainly just teeter-tot-erring. A lot of them took on water by the nose. After that it was over, especially for the smaller boats.”
Between the military defections and now boats on the bottom of Lake Travis, the metaphor almost screams the obvious: Could Trump’s (re-election) ship be sunk?
Between the military defections and now boats on the bottom of Lake Travis, the metaphor almost screams the obvious: Could Trump’s (re-election) ship be sunk? […]
We shall see. But you’re right DJ – “the metaphor almost screams the obvious.”
We know Trump made those reprehensible comments. Most Trump voters know it too. But their allegiance is to him. They don’t give a d*mn what he says or does as long as they believe he’ll protect white racial dominance in America.
The majority of the military may be a different breed. Trump got the majority of their votes in 2016. But given all that’s being reported about what Trump really thinks of the military (which should surprise no one), I think it’s probably unlikely he’ll get the majority of their votes this time.