On Friday morning, the “big three” broadcast network newscasts treated the anonymously-sourced Atlantic piece claiming President Trump called fallen U.S. soldiers “losers” and “suckers” as fact, huffing about how “explosive,” “staggering,” and “stinging” the allegations were that have put the President on “defense.”
Predictably, none of the networks specifically quoted the number of on-the-record current and former White House officials that have grown to nearly a dozen. And because conducting journalism isn’t what they do, they also couldn’t be bothered to mention both the excerpt of John Bolton’s book on the day in question that made no mention of these comments and a White House e-mail also debunking them.
Filling in on Friday, NBC’s Sunday Today host Willie Geist boasted in a tease: “On the defense [sic]. President Trump vehemently denies a report claiming he called Americans killed in war ‘losers’ and ‘suckers.’”
Geist was clearly enamored with the piece from liberal Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg and had no issues with its factuality, telling White House correspondent Peter Alexander after his report that “[t]hose alleged quotes are staggering.”
Alexander similarly showed no signs of skepticism, bragging that the “explosive new article citing unnamed sources threatens to undercut President Trump’s argument that no one cares more about the military than he does.”
Over on ABC’s Good Morning America, fill-in co-host Tom Llamas introduced a segment on the matter as Trump “firing back at a report overnight alleging he made disparaging comments against fallen soldiers.”
Senior congressional correspondent Mary Bruce replied that Trump “is furious” and gave “a lengthy angry response to this report…denying all of these allegations.”
Bruce touted the allegations in Goldberg’s article about what took place during a 2018 presidential visit to France before admitting “ABC News has not confirmed these details.”
And again, neither noted the denials from current and former Trump officials such as Bolton, Jordan Karem, Lt. General Keith Kellogg (ret.), Stephen Miller, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and Dan Scavino.
CBS This Morning only alluded to the notion that, unlike with the “losers” and “suckers” claims, there were people going on the record to lambaste the story.
White House correspondent Ben Tracy asserted: “When this came out, at least ten current and former Trump administration officials went on the record strongly denying it and the President himself looked visibly angry last night as he denied it, calling it an attempt to influence the election.”
Before that, here was co-host Tony Dokopuil’s set-up:
President Trump is furiously denying a published report that claims he insulted Americans who died in combat. Mr. Trump spoke after four unnamed sources but said to have direct knowledge told The Atlantic that the President once called U.S. service members buried in France “‘losers’ and ‘suckers.’” Ben Tracy is at the White House for us. Good morning to you. The pushback on this story has been uniquely intense, hasn't it?
Despite acknowledging the multiple denials, Tracy still treated all of the claims in The Atlantic as air-tight. Seeing as how they helped promulgate a years-long conspiracy theory about Trump-Russia collusion and a recent one about the Postal Service, it wasn’t entirely surprising (click “expand”):
TRACY: On his way back from Pennsylvania, the President denied a new article in The Atlantic that says in a 2018 trip overseas president trump questioned why he should go to a cemetery of American soldiers near Paris, saying "It's filled with losers," and called the American war dead “suckers” for getting killed.
TRUMP: There is nobody that respects them more, So I just think it's a horrible, horrible thing. [SCREEN WIPE] No animal, nobody, what animal would say such a thing? And especially since I've done more -- I think that almost anybody to help our military.
TRACY: The article also said the President canceled the visit to the cemetery “because he feared his hair would become disheveled in the rain.”
TRUMP: You could also speak to the Secret Service. The Secret Service wouldn't let me go, no matter what happened, because of security, because of safety.
TRACY: At the time the White House did tell reporters the trip to the cemetery had been canceled due to difficulties caused by the weather. But both German chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emanuel Macron attended the memorial service at other sites also outside Paris. The article also says that when Senator John McCain died, the President told his senior staff, "we're not going to support that loser's funeral.”
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To see the relevant transcripts from September 4, click "expand."
ABC’s Good Morning America
September 4, 2020
7:01 a.m. Eastern [TEASE][ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: President Trump Denies New report; Firing Back]
CECILIA VEGA: President Trump firing back overnight at a report alleging he made disparaging comments against fallen soldiers.
(….)
7:15 a.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking Overnight; President Trump Fires Back; Denies Report Alleging He Made Disparaging Comments About Fallen Soldiers]
TOM LLAMAS: Turning now to President Trump, firing back at a report overnight alleging he made disparaging comments against fallen soldiers. Mary Bruce is in Washington with more on this. Mary, good morning.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I would be willing to swear on anything that I never said that about our fallen heroes. There is nobody that respects them more.
BRUCE: In a new report, The Atlantic writes Trump called Americans who died during the war “‘losers’ and ‘suckers’” and he backed off a 2018 visit to a French cemetery for U.S. soldiers because he didn't think it was important to honor them. The story cites four people with firsthand knowledge but does not name them and ABC News has not confirmed these details. Trump says it's entirely fabricated.
TRUMP: They made it up and probably it's a couple of people that have been failures in the administration that I got rid of and I couldn't get rid of them fast enough, but --- or --- or it was just made up.
BRUCE: But the President has made disparaging comments in the past famously going after late Senator John McCain, who was held captive and tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.
[TRUMP-FRANK LUNTZ 2015 CLIP]
BRUCE: Trump now falsely insists he never called McCain a loser and overnight boasted of his involvement in planning his funeral.
TRUMP: All that have had to be approved by the President. I approved it without hesitation, without complaint and I felt he deserved it. I disagreed with him on things and he was a tough guy.
BRUCE: The President's forceful rebuttal comes as he tries to shore up from the military, counting on them to help him win re-election.
TRUMP: To think I would make statements negative to our military and our fallen heroes when nobody's done what I've done with the budgets, with the military budgets, with getting pay raises for our military. [SCREEN WIPE] All they're trying to do is influence a presidential election.
(….)
----------
CBS This Morning
September 4, 2020
7:00 a.m. Eastern [TEASE][ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Troop Controversy]
TONY DOKOPUIL: Troop controversy. President Trump strongly denies a report he called Americans who died in war “‘losers’ and ‘suckers.’” How the White House says it's an attempt to influence the election.
(….)
7:07 a.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: 2020 America Decides; President Trump Insulting Troops; Report: President Called Fallen Soldiers “Losers” & “Suckers”]
DOKOPUIL: President Trump is furiously denying a published report that claims he insulted Americans who died in combat. Mr. Trump spoke after four unnamed sources but said to have direct knowledge told The Atlantic that the President once called U.S. service members buried in France “‘losers’ and ‘suckers.’” Ben Tracy is at the White House for us. Good morning to you. The pushback on this story has been uniquely intense, hasn't it?
BEN TRACY: It sure has, Tony. You know, when this came out, at least ten current and former Trump administration officials went on the record strongly denying it and the President himself looked visibly angry last night as he denied it, calling it an attempt to influence the election.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: And I would be willing to swear on anything that I never said that about our fallen heroes.
TRACY: On his way back from Pennsylvania, the President denied a new article in The Atlantic that says in a 2018 trip overseas president trump questioned why he should go to a cemetery of American soldiers near Paris, saying "It's filled with losers," and called the American war dead “suckers” for getting killed.
TRUMP: There is nobody that respects them more, So I just think it's a horrible, horrible thing. [SCREEN WIPE] No animal, nobody, what animal would say such a thing? And especially since I've done more -- I think that almost anybody to help our military.
TRACY: The article also said the President canceled the visit to the cemetery “because he feared his hair would become disheveled in the rain.”
TRUMP: You could also speak to the Secret Service. The Secret Service wouldn't let me go, no matter what happened, because of security, because of safety.
TRACY: At the time the White House did tell reporters the trip to the cemetery had been canceled due to difficulties caused by the weather. But both German chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emanuel Macron attended the memorial service at other sites also outside Paris. The article also says that when Senator John McCain died, the president told his senior staff, "we're not going to support that loser's funeral.”
TRUMP: I disagreed with John McCain, but I still respected him.
TRACY: Back in 2015, then-candidate Donald Trump said this of McCain who was a prisoner of war for more than five years in Vietnam –
[TRUMP-LUNTZ 2015 CLIP]
TRACY: The latest controversy comes as the President again appears to suggest supporters who vote by mail should also vote in person.
(….)
----------
NBC’s Today
September 2020
7:01 a.m. Eastern [TEASE][ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: On the Defense]
WILLIE GEIST: On the defense. President Trump vehemently denies a report claiming he called Americans killed in war “‘losers’ and ‘suckers.’”
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: They made it up.
GEIST: This as he and Joe Biden zero in on key battleground states with just 60 days now until the election.
(….)
7:09 a.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Trump Denies Disparaging Military; Vehemently Disputes Report He Criticized Service Members and Vets]
GEIST: Turning now to the race for the White House and with both candidates traveling the country this morning, they’re taking very different approaches as you might imagine in key battle ground states. Joe Biden met privately with the family of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin on Thursday while President Trump held a campaign rally in Pennsylvania hours before a report claimed he called dead American soldiers, “‘losers’ and ‘suckers.’” NBC White House correspondent Peter Alexander has more for us. Peter, good morning.
PETER ALEXANDER: Hey, Willie, good morning to you. This explosive new article citing unnamed sources threatens to undercut President Trump's argument that no one cares more about the military than he does, quoting him at one point as having called Marines who died in a World War I battle “suckers.” The President and the White House overnight vehemently denying the report. President Trump, who often touts his support for the military and veterans under fire this morning after a stinging article by The Atlantic that details a canceled 2018 trip to a U.S. cemetery in France. According to the report, four people with firsthand knowledge of the discussion said, “President Trump did not believe it was important to honor American war dead,” saying, “why should I go to that cemetery? It's filled with losers.” At the time, the President said the trip was canceled because rain made it too risky for marine 1 to fly there. And overnight he blasted the report, saying it was false.
TRUMP: They made it up and probably it's a couple of people that have been failures in the administration that I got rid of and I couldn't get rid of them fast enough, but --- or --- or it was just made up.
(….)7:12 a.m. Eastern
ALEXANDER: Also, in that article from The Atlantic, after John McCain's death, the President, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the event said, “we're not going to support that loser's funeral.” In a series of tweets overnight, the President admitted while he was never a fan of McCain, he approved the funeral “without hesitation or complaint” and “it was well deserved.” And he said he never called McCain “a loser,” but in fact, in 2015, he called him just that, Wille.
GEIST: Those alleged quotes are staggering in that piece in The Atlantic.
