First Term Record — November 2018 / September 2020 military veterans fallen soldiers fact-checked

Trump Called Fallen Soldiers "Suckers and Losers." Coast Guard Families Worked Without Pay During His Shutdown. VA Is Being Cut by 30,000 Workers.

Trump has claimed to be the greatest president for the military in American history. His record with actual military personnel and families tells a different story. The Atlantic reported in September 2020 — corroborated by multiple current and former administration officials — that Trump refused to visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France in November 2018, calling fallen WWI soldiers "suckers" and "losers." During his 2018-2019 government shutdown, Coast Guard members — active-duty military personnel — worked without pay and were told to hold garage sales to make ends meet. In his second term, he is cutting 30,000 VA workers who serve 9 million veterans.

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The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg reported on November 2018: Trump was scheduled to visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris, where 1,811 American service members who died in World War I are buried. The visit was canceled. The official reason given was weather — rain made helicopter travel inadvisable. Other world leaders, including Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel, attended commemorations in the rain. Goldberg's sources — multiple current and former senior administration officials who were with Trump on the trip — said Trump had refused to go, asking why he should visit a cemetery "filled with losers," and referring to the 1,800 Marines killed at Belleau Wood as "suckers" for getting killed. Trump denied the report. His former chief of staff John Kelly, his former national security advisor John Bolton, and multiple others who were on the trip confirmed aspects of Goldberg's reporting on background.

During the 35-day government shutdown of 2018-2019, the United States Coast Guard — active-duty military personnel — was among the agencies that worked without pay. Unlike other branches of the military, the Coast Guard is funded through DHS appropriations, which were included in the shutdown. Coast Guard commandant Admiral Karl Schultz wrote an open letter to his members, apologizing that they were working without pay and acknowledging the difficulty of the situation. The Coast Guard's own website suggested financial counseling resources including advice about holding garage sales to make ends meet — language that was widely circulated and condemned as tone-deaf to what military families were enduring.

Verification note

This post distinguishes between documented facts, allegations, and analysis. Where motive, intent, corruption, or illegality remains disputed in the public record, the text attributes that judgment to court findings, official records, direct quotes, or the reporting linked below.

The Sources
  • The Atlantic — Jeffrey Goldberg, "Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are 'Losers' and 'Suckers,'" September 3, 2020; multiple current and former senior officials confirmed on background.
  • John Kelly — confirmed he had heard Trump make disparaging remarks about military; CNN reporting 2023.
  • Coast Guard shutdown — Admiral Karl Schultz open letter January 2019; garage sale language from Coast Guard Mutual Assistance resource.
  • VA 30K cuts — VA Secretary Doug Collins statement documented; AllSides, Federal News Network.
related post← VA: 30,000 Workers Being Cut. related postMcCain 'Not a War Hero.' Gold Star Family Attacked. →