On This Day In 2018
Trump surprises troops with Xmas visit—and gives our soldiers the worst possible gift
Our Commander-in-Chief—or ANYBODY—should know better. No special forces unit is more prestigious, effective, and secretive than the Navy SEALs. OTDI 2018, Trump used them to score points with his base, and caused serious damage in the process.
He made a surprise visit to SEAL Team 5 in Al Asad Air Base in Iraq…and then promptly tweeted a video of the soldiers and their camp. So, Trump’s 87 million followers—and the enemy insurgents trying to kill Americans—now had knowledge of the SEAL team’s location. And they now had images of their individual faces.
This exposure made them ripe targets for enemy attacks.
Such disdain for the military: Trump has previously referred to Marines who gave their life for the U.S. as “suckers.” And he didn’t want to visit a military cemetery because “Why should I?... It’s filled with losers.” He railed against Gold Star families, and mocked soldiers who were captured or injured.
So, Trump is the kind of bully who taunts our men and women in uniform. When a human with that kind of moral character comes face to face with soldiers, as happened on Xmas in Iraq, disaster can ensue.
o USA Today’s report on Trump’s video release is at: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/12/27/trump-video-iraq-reveals-navy-seal-team-deployment/2422742002/
o The NBC News story on the SEAL episode is here: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-s-reveal-seal-team-iraq-could-endanger-its-members-n952521
o The Military Times reported Trump’s disparagement of military sacrifice here: www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2020/09/03/report-trump-disparaged-us-war-dead-as-losers-suckers/
o Jeffrey Goldberg in The Atlantic reported Trump’s “sucker” and “loser” comments at: www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/09/trump-americans-who-died-at-war-are-losers-and-suckers/615997/
