Donald Trump Belittled Disabled Veteran, Says Gen. Mark Milley
Donald Trump is under fire again, this time for reportedly belittling a disabled veteran and wounded war hero during a military ceremony, as revealed by General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US military.
The former president reportedly told Milley during a 2019 military ceremony that he does not approve of the disabled veteran he chose to sing "God Bless America." The ex-POTUS reportedly told the general, "Why do you bring people like that here? No one wants to see that, the wounded." Trump also reportedly told Milley he does not want to see Avila again in public.
According to Business Insider, the Joint Chiefs chairman took offense to what Trump told him, admitting that he was disturbed by the former president's "repugnant" attitude towards veterans. Milley reportedly stated that Trump's attitude towards the armed forces was "superficial, callous, and, at the deepest human level, repugnant."
During a ceremony where Milley took the mantle of Joint Chiefs chairman, he chose veteran Army captain Luis Avila, a wounded war hero who was severely wounded while serving his country in Afghanistan, to sing "God Bless America." He reportedly lost a leg in an IED attack in Afghanistan and has suffered multiple strokes, heart attacks, and brain damage. However, Trump was not happy with the choice.
Avila was in a wheelchair during the ceremony and almost got involved in an accident as it was raining, and the ground was soft at the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia. His wheelchair almost overturned, but then-Vice President Mike Pence and General Milley's wife rushed to help the disabled veteran.
Donald Trump Slammed for Belittling Disabled Veteran
When Milley admitted what the former president said, several notable people from both the right and the left slammed Trump, with conservative attorney George Conway criticizing Trump on social media, saying, "There is no nice way to put it. P01135809 is pure scum." The number is a reference to Trump's inmate number at the Fulton County Jail.
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The Republican political strategist also piled on Trump, posting on social media, "Trump's loathing for an injured war hero speaks more volumes about his low, repulsive character than almost any of the other stories of his public or private behavior," He added, "I've read damn near every account of his degenerate, foul life, and this one still shocks."
"This strikes me as 100% true. Physical appearance/looks are EVERYTHING to Trump," posted former senior adviser to Trump's 2016 campaign, AJ Delgado. "A wounded veteran with a missing limb, no matter how heroic, would be a 'no' for him."
Former Military Veteran and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Also Whips Donald Trump
Former Navy Lieutenant and current Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who served a tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2014, was among one of Trump's most vocal critics regarding his comments on veterans. He noted that Trump's alleged order was "just the latest in a pattern of outrageous attacks [by Trump] on people who keep this country safe."
The former Indiana mayor added that military members "deserve respect and a hell of a lot more than that from every American, and definitely from every American president."
He added, "The idea that an American president, the person to whom service members look as a commander in chief, the person who sets the tone for this entire country, could think that way or act that way or talk that way about anyone in uniform, and certainly about those who put their bodies on the line and sacrificed in ways that most Americans will never understand." The Transportation secretary also concluded, "I guess wounded veterans make President Trump feel uncomfortable."
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This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: 'A general reporting to an unstable president': Report exposes challenges for Milley under Trump - MSNBC
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