Trump lies about former Presidents calling the families of slain troops

I cringe to think that the survivors of the troops killed in Niger heard this country's Commander-in-Chief basically express that he couldn't be bothered and uses a lie about President Obama to justify his inaction. I get it that Trump doesn't give a rat's a$$ but, at the very least, he is obligated to note the ultimate sacrifice made by these soldiers for their country.  Yet he bangs the drum about people not standing for the National Anthem. Good God!  Just when I thought he couldn't get any worse, he does just that. 


usatoday.com:  Trump Makes False Claim that Former Presidents Didn't Call the Families of Slain Troops

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/10/16/trump-says-most-former-presidents-didnt-call-families-slain-troops-then-backs-away/769248001/


Slate dissects Trump's latest load lie.  I no longer ask: "How does he sleep at night?"  He doesn't.  Trump's subconscious knows that if he buys the farm in his sleep, he'll need plenty of sun block for his big MAGA rally in the Inferno.


slate.com:  How Trump makes Fact Sausage out of Confusion Meat

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/10/16/trump_impeachment_chances_fallen_soldiers_edition.html



Did anyone know that we had troops in Niger?


Trump may have a point about some former Presidents.

Despite all those who died in the Civil War Lincoln did not make a single phone call to any of their families.



LOST said:

Did anyone know that we had troops in Niger?

I didn't. Sarah Sanders said that they were there in an advisory and training role. CNN reported that they were ambushed as they exited a meeting with local leaders. 

"U.S. Africa Command, which is based in Stuttgart, Germany, has provided no details about the mission, except to say it was for counterterrorism purposes. It’s unclear, though, why this unit would come into contact with enemy forces while performing what’s typically considered a training and advisory role."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/10/04/u-s-troops-take-hostile-fire-in-niger/?utm_term=.6c585e5eadac  




Is there any place we don't have troops?

China I guess. North Korea. (though I suppose it counts that we've got thousands of troops right on their border.)

I mean, we still are the hegemon. That takes a lotta troops inna lotta places.

cramer said:



LOST said:

Did anyone know that we had troops in Niger?

I didn't. Sarah Sanders said that they were there in an advisory and training role. CNN reported that they were ambushed as they exited a meeting with local leaders. 

"U.S. Africa Command, which is based in Stuttgart, Germany, has provided no details about the mission, except to say it was for counterterrorism purposes. It’s unclear, though, why this unit would come into contact with enemy forces while performing what’s typically considered a training and advisory role."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/10/04/u-s-troops-take-hostile-fire-in-niger/?utm_term=.6c585e5eadac  






what’s interesting is where they’re stationed, to monitor what actions in which nations/‘theatres of war’/regions of interest. I mean, see above: the African troops were based in Germany. To me that doesn’t make much sense even though I know that modern transport means they can be deployed quickly, etc. 


The USS Ronald Reagan was in Hong Kong last week, so US forces were in China. 


Could've shortened thread title to...

Trump lies.


or shorter thread-- times Trump told the truth


How Trump consoles relatives of the fallen...

Despite Trump’s denials, however, Sgt. Johnson’s mother, Cowanda Jones-Johnson, confirmed that Trump did tell her daughter-in-law that her late husband “knew what he signed up for.”

“President Trump did disrespect my son and my daughter and also me and my husband,” Jones-Johnson told the Washington Post.



mikescott said:

or shorter thread-- times Trump told the truth

it might not have any posts in it at all.

Ms Spiers, who is also the founder of Gawker, also claimed that a friend of the mogul-turned-politico once told her Mr Trump would “lie to you about what time of day it is, just for the practice”.  

http://www.independent.co.uk/News/world/americas/jared-kushner-donald-trump-lied-base-stupid-voters-supporters-president-son-in-law-white-house-a7764791.html

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Former President Barack Obama has started calling every person in America to offer consolation about Donald Trump being President, Obama has confirmed.

“It’s something I meant to do right after the Inauguration,” Obama said, during a brief break from the phone calls. “I feel terrible that I didn’t get to it sooner.”

The former President said that, although the phone calls are a small gesture, he felt that he had to do whatever he could to extend his sympathy about Trump being President.

“There’s a lot of pain out there that a phone call from me can never fix,” he said. “Still, I want people to know that I care.”

Carol Foyler, who has been grieving since Trump was elected, last November, said that receiving a call from Obama on Monday “meant a lot.”

“The fact that he took the time to call me, when he had three hundred million more people left to call, is something I’ll never forget,” she said


At this point, it's clear, whether he is conscious of it or not, that it is to Trump's advantage to say things a normal president would not say, including this atrocity. It distracts us from the more important things such as collusion with Russia for his personal gain.



drummerboy said:

Is there any place we don't have troops?


China I guess. North Korea. (though I suppose it counts that we've got thousands of troops right on their border.)


I mean, we still are the hegemon. That takes a lotta troops inna lotta places.

Don't worry, Trump is ON IT. In four years time, no one will believe that we were ever a hegemonic power. You'll be amazed by how quickly other countries go from bemoaning the lack of American leadership to saying "United Sates of who?"


I was under the assumption that these calls were personal/private to families. I don't recall hearing about military phone calls from past president's to families. We assumed it was done but there was no voice trail to the public about these calls; personal. How and why did the substance of this call leak? And who gave Frederika Wilson permission to leak some contents of the call? Unsure if she did it on her own or if she asked permission from the widow.

Second, if we find out that Ms. Wilson leaked this info sans permission, I have an issue with that. It doesn't matter that he was callous and didn't know the soldier's name - she had no right to open her mouth about a personal call. 



kibbegirl said:

I was under the assumption that these calls were personal/private to families. I don't recall hearing about military phone calls from past president's to families. We assumed it was done but there was no voice trail to the public about these calls; personal. How and why did the substance of this call leak? And who gave Frederika Wilson permission to leak some contents of the call? Unsure if she did it on her own or if she asked permission from the widow.

Second, if we find out that Ms. Wilson leaked this info sans permission, I have an issue with that. It doesn't matter that he was callous and didn't know the soldier's name - she had no right to open her mouth about a personal call. 

Congresswoman Wilson was in the limo with the widow when Trump called. The call was on speaker phone. The soldier's mother corroborated the account.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/18/us/politics/trump-widow-johnson-call.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news


What this latest Trump "imbrolio" demonstrates his total lack of consistency and his clumsy off-hand approach. When talking with Gold Star families, he's alternately been folksy ("I bet your son never gave you a day of trouble."), combative (recall how he treated Mr. and Mrs. Kahn), strange (offering one parent $25K for his loss) and dismissive ("your son knew what he signed up for."). 




Hahaha said:

What this latest Trump "imbrolio" demonstrates his total lack of consistency and his clumsy off-hand approach. When talking with Gold Star families, he's alternately been folksy ("I bet your son never gave you a day of trouble."), combative (recall how he treated Mr. and Mrs. Kahn), strange (offering one parent $25K for his loss) and dismissive ("your son knew what he signed up for."). 

Typical narcissist. Doesn't think things through in order to empathize.  



Hahaha said:

What this latest Trump "imbrolio" demonstrates his total lack of consistency and his clumsy off-hand approach. When talking with Gold Star families, he's alternately been folksy ("I bet your son never gave you a day of trouble."), combative (recall how he treated Mr. and Mrs. Kahn), strange (offering one parent $25K for his loss) and dismissive ("your son knew what he signed up for."). 

Without knowing all of the families, I bet I can guess the race of the one with whom he had the "folksy" conversation.  Probably the same for the "strange" family, too.



Steve said:



Hahaha said:

What this latest Trump "imbrolio" demonstrates his total lack of consistency and his clumsy off-hand approach. When talking with Gold Star families, he's alternately been folksy ("I bet your son never gave you a day of trouble."), combative (recall how he treated Mr. and Mrs. Kahn), strange (offering one parent $25K for his loss) and dismissive ("your son knew what he signed up for."). 


Without knowing all of the families, I bet I can guess the race of the one with whom he had the "folksy" conversation.  Probably the same for the "strange" family, too.

You’d be right. Guess which one voted for Trump. 


Hope they are regretting that vote now.


Just Google "Marine Corps in Africa" and it'll give you some information, it's been going on for years.



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