If it feels like it’s been a while since the last anonymously sourced hit piece targeting President Trump, the drought is over. The Atlantic published a steaming pile of garbage today making wild claims that Trump doesn’t like wounded vets and insulted dead marines as “losers.” There is not a single named source in the entire story, nor does anything said jive with what we know about the President.
Donald Trump, in a White House meeting, asked that a military parade exclude wounded veterans, because “nobody wants to see” amputees. My story here: https://t.co/4PUGrR7tCS
— Jeffrey Goldberg (@JeffreyGoldberg) September 3, 2020
Trump is a lot of things, some good, some not so good. Every man is flawed and the President is no different. But if there’s one thing he enjoys about the job, it’s spending time with the military. At no point in his entire tenure has he ever been anything but willing to spend time with veterans, wounded or otherwise.
Want proof? There are plenty of pictures out there. Does this look like a guy disgusted with amputees who will do anything to not have to be around them?
These took me 5 seconds to find. I’m not saying this is dispositive of anything. But a completely anonymously-sourced story must be taken with an equal grain of salt. pic.twitter.com/i7S65ZgYzM
— Bartleby (@ElderBartleby) September 3, 2020
Yes, Trump held a grudge against John McCain, but he doesn’t do so against random military members and dead soldiers. If anything, Trump has shown himself to be most in his element while interacting with veterans of all stripes. The idea that he’s secretly bagging on amputees doesn’t even begin to pass the smell test.
So where did this story come from? We can’t know for sure, but I’d guess it’s from Mattis’ camp. This seems like the kind of trash he’d peddle given how sore he still is about Trump daring to not follow his lead on Syria.
There may have been a time when a story like this could be taken at face value. But the media at large, much less a liberal rag like The Atlantic, have burned those bridges of credibilty. Nothing they publish should be believed unless they offer actual evidence. Anonymous sources who heard it from friend who heard it from a friend are not real sources. They are just political tools to push a narrative.
In short, Goldberg’s story is trash.
(Please follow me on Twitter! @bonchieredstate)
