ZCZC
BFF-09
US-POLITICS-VETERANS-TRUMP-WWI-MELANIA
US first lady defends Trump over alleged ‘losers’ quip
WASHINGTON, Sept 5, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Melania Trump on Friday defended her
husband against allegations that he referred to US Marines buried in a WWI
cemetery in France as “losers” and “suckers.”
In a rare public statement, the US first lady rejected as “not true” the
accusations made in an article published in The Atlantic magazine.
“It has become a very dangerous time when anonymous sources are believed
above all else, & no one knows their motivation. This is not journalism — It
is activism. And it is a disservice to the people of our great nation,” she
tweeted.
On Thursday The Atlantic reported — citing four anonymous sources who said
they had firsthand knowledge of the discussions — that President Donald
Trump had referred to US Marines buried in a World War I cemetery in France
as “losers” and “suckers” for getting killed in action.
When visiting France in November 2018 for the centenary of the end of the
Great War, Trump did not visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris
as originally planned — officially because bad weather grounded his
helicopter.
But the magazine disputed that version of events.
The backlash was swift, and Trump sent a barrage of tweets to defend
himself.
“The Atlantic magazine is dying, like most magazines, so they make up a
fake story in order to gain some relevance,” wrote the president, who went on
to assail the report as “a disgrace” in a briefing to White House reporters.
BSS/AFP/SSS/0915 hrs