AAPI blast Trump's disparagement of U.S. veterans, POWs and war-dead

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth at the WWII Memmorial in Washington D.C.

United States Senator Tammy Duckworth lambasts Donald Trump's calling America's military war dead and wounded as "losers" and "suckers."

In a bombshell article published in The Atlantic, Trump also allegedly requested amputees not be included in plans for a Washington D.C. military parade because, in his words, “nobody wants to see that.”

Trump also requested amputees not be included in plans for a military parade because, in his words, “nobody wants to see that.”

Duckworth, who lost both legs while serving in Iraq as a helicopter pilot, said: “I’ll take my wheelchair and my titanium legs over his bone spurs any day,” referring to the minor ailment Trump used multiple times to obtain a medical deferment from being drafted during the Vietnam War.

During a conference call arranged by the campaign staff of Democratic POTUS nominee Joe Biden, Thai American Duckworth continued to hit Trump hard for the comments he made as reported in The Atlantic article, which has been verified by multiple media outlets since it was first published.

“This is a man who spends every day redefining the concept of narcissism. A man who’s met a life of privilege, with everything handed to him on a silver platter,” said Duckworth.

“Of course he thinks about war selfishly,” said the Illinois senator. “He thinks of it as a transactional cost instead of in human lives and American blood spilled, because that’s how he’s viewed his whole life. He doesn’t understand other people’s bravery and courage because he’s never had any of his own.”

On Twitter, Duckworth continued her relentless attack on Trump, who on numerous occasions she has referred to as "Cadet Bonespurs," and "Coward-in-chief." 

“What @realDonaldTrump will never understand is that our Wounded Warriors earned their wounds. They are our badges of honor from our service to the country we love. If he can’t bear to witness those who have sacrificed for our nation, perhaps he should avert his cowardly eyes,” she tweeted.

Also taking part in the conference call was Khizr Khan, father of the late Captain H. Khan, who was killed while serving in the U.S Army in Iraq.

“Words matter," said Khan, who was attacked by Trump for his rousing speech during the 2016 Democratic National Convention. "The words we say are a window into our souls — of how we see the world and our place in it. 

“When Donald Trump calls anyone who places their life in service of others a ‘loser,’ we understand Trump’s soul.”

Trump, said Khan, is “incapable of understanding service, valor and courage. His soul cannot conceive of integrity and honor. And let me say very loudly and clearly so America can listen: His soul is that of a coward.”

Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, also author of the article, reported that Trump called the soldiers who died during World War I “losers” and “suckers”, while canceling a 2018 visit to a cemetery of U.S. war dead in France. Trump claimed the cancellation was due to the inclement weather, which did not prevent other French and foreign dignitaries from appearing at the memorial.

In a Friday press conference, Democratic rival Joe Biden said, "if what is written in the Atlantic is true, it’s disgusting and it affirms what most of us believe to be true – that Donald Trump is not fit to do the job of president, be the commander-in-chief."

"If these statements are true, the president should humbly apologize to every Gold Star mother and father and every Blue Star family that he’s denigrated," Biden said.

Other vignettes included in The Atlantic article:

• Trump also allegedly told his senior staff “we’re not going to support that loser’s funeral” after U.S. Sen. John McCain died before calling him “a f-ing loser,” a which he repeated in a televised interview. 
• He also mocked former President George H.W. Bush for being shot down while piloting combat missions during World War II.
• At a 2017 service at Arlington National Cemetery, Trump told former chief of staff John Kelly, whose son Robert died in 2010 at age 29 while serving as a Marine Corps officer in Afghanistan, turned to Kelly, while standing by Robert Kelly’s grave, and said, “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?”

Not surprisingly, Trump has called The Atlantic article "fake news," a "hoax" and a "continuation of the witch hunt,” according to Politico.

Meanwhile, White House staff has scrambled issuing denials, but at this point, with the number of falsehoods, misleading statements and outright lies emanating from administration officials and staff, their credibility is almost zero.

Since the article was published Thursday, the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Associated Press, NBC, ABC and other news outlets have independently confirmed the statements attributed to Trump.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A word of caution, this is news sprinkled with opinion. Readers are encouraged to seek multiple news sources to formulate their own positions.