President Trump’s Alleged Disrespect Towards Military Heroes Follows a Pattern of Facades
President Trump with the US Military Academy Football Team in 2018. Source.
A recent report from the Atlantic details the many times President Donald Trump has disparaged United States military heroes and diminished the sacrifice made by those who fight for our country. Trump allegedly refused to pay respects to the fallen soldiers in 2018. Then, he called those who are buried there “suckers” for having died in combat. Trump allegedly opposed flying the flag at half mast after late Sen. John McCain died, calling him a “loser.” He made similar remarks in regards to former President Geroge W. Bush and top pentagon officials, including former Defense Secretary James Mattis, and Gen. Joseph Dunford. He has also done this several times to other military personnel. Trump and multiple other White House officials have released statements claiming the story is false. However, Fox News, an outlet that has habitually supported Trump confirmed the story and added to the claims. They alleged Trump said that including “wounded guys” in Fourth of July parades is “not a good look,” and that anyone who fought in the Vietnam war is a “sucker.”
For many years, military families have been more likely to back the Republican party, and they are one of the party’s key supporting demographics. In order to gain and keep this respect, Trump has often used patriotism as a political stance. He makes speeches in front of cadets in uniform, he has expressed a love for military parades, and he originally appointed many high ranking officials to his cabinet though most of them have since been replaced. This rhetoric has been largely successful. Though his popularity has gone down a bit since the accusations were published, a majority of active forces and veterans still support Trump.
This is not the only time Trump has touted beliefs that are politically beneficially despite doing and saying things that directly contradict those beliefs. Another historically conservative demographic that Trump needs for reelection is the white Evangelical Christains. Exit polls during the 2016 election showed Trump defeated democratic nominee, Hilary Clinton, by 63% among this group. Trump has claimed on multiple occasions that he is a Presbyterian Christian and he has surrounded himself with Evangelical leaders. The details of his faith are contested, as he does not regularly attend a church and declines to speak deeply about his religion whenever asked. However, the demographic normally holds close to their beliefs of strong traditional family values. Trump has not showcased these values in his personal history, which includes multiple sexual assault allegations. Furthermore, Trump has been accused of mocking the faith of other political figures.
The new allegations against Trump’s support of the military is not a surprise given his long record of similar expressions. His disrespect towards those who fight and die for our country may have been pushed out of the minds of voters due to his admiration of the niceties that come with the military and his love for the power he is granted as Commander In Chief. However, when it comes to respecting the sacrifices made by those who are actually in uniform, Trump has fallen short time and time again. This same pattern can be seen with other Republican voting groups, like white Evangelical Christains. These falsities illustrate that Trump is willing to blatantly lie to the public to gain their votes.