Did Trump call dead solid ers suckers
Executive summary
The Atlantic reported in 2020 that then‑President Donald Trump privately said the Aisne‑Marne cemetery was “filled with losers” and called U.S. Marines who died at Belleau Wood “suckers,” a claim the magazine attributed to multiple unnamed aides [1]. Trump has repeatedly denied the remarks and called them disinformation; former chief of staff John Kelly publicly confirmed the “suckers” and “losers” description in statements to CNN and later media [2] [3].
1. The original allegation: a multi-source Atlantic story
In September 2020 The Atlantic published a multi‑source report saying Trump, during a 2018 trip to France, declined to visit an American war cemetery and told aides “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers,” and in another conversation called the Marines killed at Belleau Wood “suckers” for getting killed; the story relied on multiple anonymous officials [1].
2. The former president’s consistent denials
Trump and his team have consistently and publicly denied the Atlantic’s account. He called the report “made up disinformation” on Truth Social and insisted he never said fallen soldiers were “losers and suckers” [2]. Polling at the time showed wide public awareness of the allegation; YouGov found about half of Americans believed the report while many Republicans rejected it [4].
3. Corroboration from a senior aide: John Kelly’s confirmation
John Kelly, Trump’s longest‑serving chief of staff, issued a statement confirming that Trump used the “losers” and “suckers” language about war dead, telling CNN that a person who thinks those who defend their country are “suckers” is indicative of Trump’s remarks [3]. Media outlets later cited Kelly’s confirmation when revisiting the claim [5].
4. Media consensus and fact‑checking posture
Major outlets — including BBC, The Hill, Axios and others — reported the Atlantic story and noted Kelly’s confirmation; subsequent fact checks documented that Trump disputed Kelly and other sources, and that altered videos circulating online were debunked by Reuters [6] [2] [5] [7]. Snopes summarized the issue as the Atlantic and later reporting alleging Trump used those words while noting denials [1].
5. Disputes over sourcing and standards
The Atlantic relied on multiple anonymous officials rather than direct on‑the‑record quotations; supporters of Trump emphasized the lack of an on‑the‑record tape and pointed to denials from many in the White House at the time [1] [2]. Critics argued that Kelly’s later confirmation strengthened the Atlantic’s sourcing; proponents of Trump countered that Kelly’s statement did not constitute incontrovertible public proof [3] [5].
6. Political impact and public reaction
The allegation became a recurring political flashpoint: opponents used it in campaign messaging, President Biden referenced it while defending veterans, and polls showed the claim influenced public opinion along partisan lines [4] [8]. Trump’s continued denials and attacks on media credibility kept the story politically charged [2] [1].
7. What the available sources do not provide
Available sources do not include an audio or video recording of Trump making the “suckers” or “losers” remarks; reporting rests on contemporaneous anonymous accounts and later confirmation by a former senior aide [1] [3]. Available sources do not mention any legal or formal investigative finding that adjudicated the truth of the specific quotes beyond media reporting and public statements [1] [7].
8. Bottom line for readers
Reporting from credible outlets shows multiple independent journalists sourcing anonymous White House officials who described Trump using the “losers” and “suckers” language in 2018, and former chief of staff John Kelly publicly confirmed that account [1] [3]. Trump and his allies have repeatedly denied the claims and criticized the outlets that published them, creating a factual dispute driven by competing witness accounts and the absence of a public recording [2] [7].