Did Trump call service members losers
Executive summary
Reporting about whether Donald Trump called U.S. service members “losers” and “suckers” rests on a 2020 Atlantic story that attributed those words to him, Trump's emphatic denials, later confirmations by former White House chief of staff John Kelly, and fact-checks noting the underlying reporting relied heavily on anonymous, second‑hand sources without audio or documentary proof [1] [2] [3] [4].
1. The original allegation: The Atlantic’s account and what it claimed
The allegation that Trump disparaged fallen U.S. service members originates from a 2020 Atlantic article which reported that the president declined to visit a World War I cemetery near Paris in 2018 because it was “filled with losers” and described Marines who died at Belleau Wood as “suckers,” among other reported slurs [1].
2. Immediate denials and political pushback
Trump publicly denied the Atlantic report and called it “Fake News,” while White House aides and others who were with him in the moments described also denied the remarks; congressional leaders and veterans’ groups condemned the reported comments on the basis of the Atlantic’s reporting [2] [5] [6].
3. Later confirmation from John Kelly and subsequent coverage
In October 2023 and again in coverage through 2024, John Kelly—who served as Trump’s chief of staff—issued statements or comments supporting the Atlantic’s reporting and saying Trump had made disparaging remarks about service members, a move that many outlets treated as a significant corroboration of the original account [3] [7].
4. How independent fact‑checkers and newsrooms assessed the evidence
Fact‑checking organizations and news outlets have repeatedly noted that the Atlantic story relied on anonymous and second‑hand sources, and that there is no public audio, video, or contemporaneous documentation that conclusively proves Trump uttered those exact words; Snopes and other explainers summarize that Kelly’s confirmation does not fully resolve whether he personally heard some comments or relayed what others told him, leaving gaps in the chain of direct evidence [4] [8].
5. Distinguishing reporting, confirmation, and incontrovertible proof
Multiple reputable outlets reported the Atlantic’s allegations and later published Kelly’s corroboration, which together make a serious journalistic record that multiple people associated with the White House described such comments [1] [3]; however, the absence of a verifiable recording or an on‑the‑record eyewitness account by a named, directly present official means the claim sits between strong journalistic allegation and incontrovertible documentary proof, a distinction emphasized by fact‑checkers and media analyses [4] [9].
6. Political and information dynamics that shape how the claim is understood
The story has been repeatedly used in political messaging—both to condemn and to defend Trump—which has amplified its reach and sharpened partisan reactions, and it has also produced derivative online content (including altered or parody videos) that complicates public assessment; Reuters highlighted an altered clip circulating online and noted the broader problem of synthetic or fan‑made clips muddying the record [9].
7. Bottom line: what can be stated with confidence and what remains uncertain
It can be stated with confidence that The Atlantic reported Trump used the words “losers” and “suckers” about U.S. service members, that Trump denied those reports, and that John Kelly subsequently said he supported the substance of the Atlantic’s reporting—facts established in multiple outlets [1] [2] [3]. What remains uncertain—and what responsible reporting continues to stress—is whether there exists direct, contemporaneous evidence (a recording or an on‑the‑record, firsthand eyewitness statement) that would definitively prove Trump spoke those exact words in the described instances; the public record as of these reports contains corroboration but not incontrovertible documentary proof [4] [8].