Fox News national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin reported Friday that two anonymous former “senior” U.S. officials had confirmed “key parts” of the Atlantic‘s story about the president, but could not confirm “the most salacious” part.
On Thursday evening, the Atlantic reported that President Donald Trump had referred to dead American World War I troops in France as “losers” and “suckers” in 2018; and that he canceled a trip to a military cemetery because he did not want his hair wet.
The story was based on claims by four anonymous sources. Nearly a dozen current and former administration officials went on the record to refute the story — notably, former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who has become a Trump critic.
Nevertheless, many on the left claimed Fox News had “confirmed” the story based on several tweets by Griffin.
Two former sr Trump admin officials confirm .@JeffreyGoldberg reporting that President Trump disparaged veterans and did not want to drive to honor American war dead at Aisne-Marne Cemetery outside Paris.
— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) September 4, 2020
According to one former senior Trump administration official: “When the President spoke about the Vietnam War, he said, ‘It was a stupid war. Anyone who went was a sucker’.”
— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) September 4, 2020
This former official heard the President say about American veterans: “What’s in it for them? They don’t make any money.” Source: “It was a character flaw of the President. He could not understand why someone would die for their country, not worth it.”
— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) September 4, 2020
I read the source a few quotes from The Atlantic article. This former Trump admin official said, “The President would say things like that. He doesn’t know why people join the military. He would muse, ‘Why do they do it’?”
— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) September 4, 2020
Re: trip to mark 100th anniversary of WW I
Source: “The President was not in a good mood. Macron had said something that made him mad about American reliability and the need perhaps for a European army. He questioned why he had to go to two cemeteries. ‘Why do I have to do two’?”— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) September 4, 2020
President Trump’s staff explained he could cancel (his visit to the cemetery), but he was warned, ‘They (the press) are going to kill you for this’.” The President was mad as a hornet when they did.
— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) September 4, 2020
When asked IF the President could have driven to the Aisne-Marne Cemetery, this former official said confidently:
“The President drives a lot. The other world leaders drove to the cemeteries. He just didn’t want to go.”— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) September 4, 2020
Regarding Trump’s July 4th military parade, during a planning session at the White House after seeing the Bastille Day parade in 2017, the President said regarding the inclusion of “wounded guys” “that’s not a good look” “Americans don’t like that,” source confirms.
— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) September 4, 2020
Regarding McCain, “The President just hated John McCain. He always asked, ‘Why do you see him as a hero?” Two sources confirmed the President did not want flags lowered but others in the White House ordered them at half mast. There was a stand off and then the President relented.
— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) September 4, 2020
On Special Report, Griffin told host Bret Baier that her anonymous sources said Trump had used the term “suckers” to refer to Americans who fought in Vietnam.
The latter claim is not actually new. Former Trump lawyer-turned-opponent Michael Cohen made the same claim publicly in early 2019.
Griffin also said that she confirmed that Trump had asked why veterans served, “What’s in it for them? They don’t make any money.”
That reflected a similar claim by the Atlantic about a remark Trump was alleged to have made at Arlington National Cemetery — though without context, it is impossible to know whether Trump was praising them for volunteering regardless of personal or financial gain, rather than (as the Atlantic and Griffith presumed) mocking them for doing so.
She also said that one, or both, sources confirmed some other details in the Atlantic story.
But Griffin said she could not confirm “the most salacious” part of the Atlantic report, which claimed that Trump had called World War I solders buried at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris “losers” and “suckers.”
Notably, Griffin did not tweet that she had failed to confirm the headline claim of the Atlantic piece, which was titled: “Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’.”
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). His new book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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