10 times Donald Trump mocked US military members including John McCain and Nikki Haley's husband

10 times Donald Trump mocked US military members

Donald Trump has landed in hot water multiple times for his inflammatory language and disrespectful behavior toward members of the United States armed forces. He has repeatedly insulted veterans during and after his term. Here are ten times Trump mocked US military members.

1. Trump takes aim at Nikki Haley's husband

Former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley's husband Michael Haley is on the list of military personnel who have fallen victim to Trump’s derision. At a campaign event in Conway, SC, the former president noted Michael’s absence from his wife’s campaign trail. "Where's her husband? Oh, he's away. He's away. What happened to her husband? What happened to her husband? Where is he? He's gone. He knew. He knew," Trump said. Michael, the former first gentleman of South Carolina, is a commissioned officer in the South Carolina Army National Guard and has been on a long deployment since June 2023 in the Horn of Africa.

2. Trump's verbal attacks on retired Navy Admiral William McRaven

In a 2018 interview, Trump ridiculed retired Admiral Bill McRaven, calling him a "Hillary Clinton fan," as per NBC News. McRaven is the Navy SEAL who led the 2011 raid that killed the Al-Qaeda co-founder Osama bin Laden. Trump said the retired admiral was "a Hillary Clinton backer and an Obama backer," and refused to give him credit for taking down Bin Laden, claiming he lived in Pakistan, which has the US support providing them $1.3 billion a year, which stopped when he took office.

3. Trump disparages fallen American soldiers as 'losers' and 'suckers'

After canceling a visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018, Trump allegedly insulted the fallen US soldiers as "losers" and "suckers," as per The Atlantic. "Why should I go to that cemetery? It's filled with losers," the former president reportedly said during a conversation with his senior staff, and he labeled more than 1800 marines who died at Belleau Wood as "suckers" for getting murdered.

4. Trump's remark while visiting first lieutenant Robert Kelly's grave

While visiting First Lieutenant Robert Kelly's grave during the 2017 Memorial Day, Trump insulted the military veterans, including those killed in Afghanistan and Iraq, asking, "I don't get it. What was in it for them?" reports CNN. John Kelly, the former president's longest-serving White House chief of staff and father of Lieutenant Robert, confirmed that Trump made the remarks while standing at the grave of the late military personnel.

5. John Kelly drops shocking revelation about Trump's comments

John Kelly told CNN during a 2023 interview that Trump calling fallen veterans 'suckers' was true. "A person that thinks those who defend their country in uniform, or are shot down or seriously wounded in combat, or spend years being tortured as POWs are all 'suckers' because 'there is nothing in it for them," the former White House aide said referring to Trump's visit to his son's grave in 2017. He further mentioned various instances where Trump insulted military members, including Trump's reluctance to be seen along with amputated military members, his contempt for the Gold Star family, and his remarks while visiting the late soldiers' grave in France.

6. Trump considers visiting troops unnecessary

In a conversation with the Associated Press in 2018, while he was the commander in chief, Trump downplayed the importance of visiting troops in a war zone, stating he considered it "overly necessary." "I've been very busy with everything that's taking place here," the former president said. Trump's first visit to US troops deployed in Iraq was in 2018, nearly two years after he was elected into the White House.

7. Trump calls military members as his own

During his term in office, Trump often addressed the military members as "my generals" and "my military," indicating a sense of ownership, which irked the military community. For instance, hours after he was sworn into office in 2017, he said, "I see my generals, generals who are going to keep us so safe," as per the Associated Press. Responding to Trump's use of the possessive pronoun, former army officer Mark Hertling said, "The US military belongs to the nation, not the president. We're not his."

8. Trump blames military generals for William Ryan Owens' death

Trump infamously blamed military generals for the 2017 deadly raid in Yemen, which led to Navy SEAL William Ryan Owens' death, claiming it was planned before he took over the office, as per NBC News. Speaking to 'Fox and Friends,' the then-president said, "This was something they wanted to do. They came to me, and they explained what they wanted to do. The generals are very respected, the most respected that we've had in many decades, I believe. And they lost Ryan."

9. Trump labels John Allen a 'failed general'

Responding to four-star General John Allen's criticism against Trump at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, the then GOP presidential hopeful slammed the former over his "failed" battles against Islamic State, reports Politico. "They had a general named John Allen. I never met him, and he got up and started talking about Trump, Trump, Trump," the real estate mogul said. "You know who he is? He's a failed general. He was the general fighting ISIS. I would say he hasn't done so well, right?" Trump added.

10. Trump mocks John McCain's military service

In 2015, more than a year before winning the presidential election, Trump insulted late Senator John McCain's service as a Navy officer for being a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, as per the Associated Press. Refusing to acknowledge McCain as a war hero, Trump said, "He is a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured." He also said, "If a person is captured, they're a hero as far as I'm concerned. ... But you have to do other things also. I don't like the job John McCain is doing in the Senate because he is not taking care of our veterans."