What is the full context and transcript of Trump's remark about veterans being suckers and losers?
Executive summary
Reporting in The Atlantic first published the claim that then-President Trump called U.S. service members who died in war “losers” and “suckers,” tied to a canceled 2018 cemetery visit in France; multiple outlets and some former officials subsequently corroborated parts of that reporting while Trump has strongly denied the quotes [1] [2] [3]. Major fact-checkers and news organizations note there is no public audio or video transcript of the exact remarks, and several confirmations rely on unnamed officials and later recollections rather than a contemporaneous recording [2] [3].
1. How the allegation first entered public view
The Atlantic published a multi-source article in September 2020 reporting that on a 2018 trip to France President Trump said “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers,” and in a separate exchange called Marines who died at Belleau Wood “suckers,” among other disparaging remarks [1] [3]. That Atlantic reporting is the origin point most subsequent accounts cite when describing the alleged language and the canceled Aisne-Marne cemetery visit [1] [3].
2. What different outlets and witnesses say
Rolling Stone, The Hill and other outlets summarized The Atlantic’s reporting and added further reported instances of disparaging comments directed at veterans and service members across several years, citing senior staffers and veterans’ advocates [1] [3]. Snopes’ review emphasized that some Department of Defense sources later confirmed the cemetery-related remarks to the Associated Press, while also noting the absence of audio/video and hard-copy transcripts to independently prove the exact words [2].
3. Denials and pushback from Trump and allies
Trump has “strongly denied” the accusations and labeled the reporting a “disgraceful situation” by a “terrible magazine,” according to fact-checking coverage that cites Trump’s responses; his campaign and supporters have similarly called the accounts false or exaggerated [2] [3]. The Hill records public denials and notes Trump’s statements that many people said he did not make such comments [3].
4. Corroboration from former officials and veterans
Some former senior officials have publicly supported the claim that disparaging comments were made. John Kelly, the former White House chief of staff, and other figures are reported to have confirmed certain cemetery-related remarks in interviews and statements, giving the Atlantic account additional weight beyond single-source reporting [1] [3]. Snopes cites that at least one unnamed senior DOD official and one Marine Corps officer told the Associated Press they had firsthand knowledge or were told about the remarks [2].
5. The gap between reporting and a verbatim transcript
No public, contemporaneous audio or video transcript of Trump saying the precise words “suckers” and “losers” at the cemetery has surfaced in the reporting summarized here. Fact-checkers explicitly highlight the lack of direct recordings or official notes that would provide an unambiguous transcript, even as multiple outlets rely on corroborating interviews and recollections [2] [3].
6. Why context matters: trip logistics, motives, and political use
Reporting ties the alleged remarks to a canceled cemetery stop in 2018; White House explanations at the time blamed weather for the cancellation, while later published recollections describe a presidential decision framed in dismissive language about the makeup of the cemetery [3]. Political actors have used the episode to question Trump’s attitudes toward veterans — opponents point to the alleged quotes and policy actions, while supporters frame the story as partisan attack or misreporting; both uses are visible in DNC messaging and conservative rebuttals cited in the record [4] [5] [3].
7. What reliable reporting can and cannot say now
Available sources document The Atlantic’s multi-source reporting, later confirmations from some unnamed and named officials to outlets like the AP, and Trump’s categorical denials — but they do not produce a public audio/video transcript of the exact exchange [1] [2] [3]. If you seek an incontrovertible verbatim transcript, current reporting does not provide one; if you seek whether multiple credible outlets and some former officials have affirmed the core claim, the reporting does reflect that corroboration [1] [2] [3].
8. Takeaway for readers weighing the claims
Assess the allegation on two levels: the factual thread — that multiple journalists and some former officials say Trump used derogatory language about fallen service members on the 2018 France trip — is well-documented in reporting [1] [3]; the evidentiary thread — a contemporaneous public recording or written presidential transcript containing the exact words — is not publicly available in the sources reviewed [2]. Readers should treat the absence of an exact public transcript as a limitation while recognizing substantial journalistic corroboration of the underlying allegation [1] [2] [3].