Fact check: Did trump say that war veterans are suckers and losers?

1. Summary of the results

The claim that Trump referred to war veterans as "suckers" and "losers" is supported by several sources, including ^[1], which cites a statement from John Kelly, a former White House chief of staff, confirming reporting in The Atlantic from 2020 ^[1]. Additionally, ^[2] reports that Trump called fallen soldiers at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery "losers" and the 1,800 US Marines who died at Belleau Wood "suckers", which supports the claim ^[2]. ^[3] also confirms that Trump called the nearly 2,000 US Marines who were killed at the World War I Battle of Belleau Wood "suckers" for getting killed and that he also referred to Americans who died in war as "losers" ^[3]. However, ^[4] neither fully confirms nor denies the claim, citing a lack of independent evidence to verify Trump's alleged comments ^[4].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Some sources provide alternative viewpoints, such as ^[5], which discusses Trump's comments on being a "war hero" and his comparisons to service members, without mentioning "suckers" or "losers" in this context ^[5]. ^[2] reports that Trump denies having made remarks about fallen soldiers being "losers" or "suckers", but includes quotes where he allegedly made such statements, thus providing mixed evidence regarding the claim ^[2]. Furthermore, ^[6] is unrelated to the claim, as it discusses a separate, altered video of Trump insulting soldiers during a Fox News call, which was found to be fake ^[6]. ^[1] quotes former Trump White House chief of staff John Kelly as saying that Trump thinks those who defend their country in uniform, or are shot down or seriously wounded in combat, or spend years being tortured as POWs are all "suckers" because "there is nothing in it for them", which supports the claim ^[1].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement may be subject to potential misinformation or bias, as some sources, such as ^[4], suggest that there is a lack of independent evidence to verify Trump's alleged comments ^[4]. Additionally, Trump and his allies have consistently denied the accusation, as reported by ^{[2] [2]}. However, the majority of the sources, including ^[1], ^[2], ^[3], and ^[1], support the claim that Trump referred to war veterans as "suckers" and "losers" ^{[1] [2] [3]}. The beneficiaries of this framing are likely those who oppose Trump and his policies, as well as those who support the claim and seek to hold Trump accountable for his alleged comments ^{[1] [2] [3]}. On the other hand, those who benefit from denying the claim are likely Trump and his allies, who seek to defend his reputation and policies ^{[4] [2]}.