Biden slams Trump over alleged comments mocking US war dead

Democratic presidential minee Joe Biden has declared President Donald Trump “unfit” for presidency, delivering an impassioned reaction to a report that Trump — who never served in uniform — allegedly mocked American war dead.

president and his allies have dismissed report in Atlantic as false.

allegations, sourced anymously, describe multiple offensive comments by president toward fallen and captured U.S. service members, including calling World War I dead at an American military cemetery in France “losers” and “suckers” in 2018.

reported comments, many of which were confirmed independently by Associated Press, are shining a fresh light on Trump’s previous public disparment of American troops and military families. That opens a new political vulnerability for president less than two months from Election Day.

Voice cracking, Biden told reporters on Friday that “you kw in your gut” Trump’s comments, if true, are “deplorable.”

“I’ve just never been as disappointed, in my whole career, with a leader that I’ve worked with, president or orwise,” Biden added. “If article is true — and it appears to be, based on or things he’s said — it is absolutely damning. It is a disgrace.”

He added that " president should humbly apologize to every Gold Star mor and far, to every Blue Star family that he’s denigrated. ... Who heck does he think he is?”

Trump, in Oval Office, said apology was necessary, because it was a “fake story.”

Trump was alleged to have made comments in vember 2018, as he was set to visit Aisne-Marne American Cemetery during a trip to France. White House said visit was scrubbed because foggy wear made helicopter trip from Paris too risky and a 90-minute drive was deemed infeasible.

Speaking Friday in Oval Office, Trump denied ever uttering such comments: “It was a terrible thing that somebody could say kind of things — and especially to me 'cause I’ve done more for military than almost anyone anybody else."

Later, in a press briefing, Trump suggested source of story was his former chief of staff, retired Marine Gen. John Kelly. “It could have been a guy like John Kelly,” Trump told reporters, saying his former top aide “was unable to handle pressure of this job."

Biden's critique was personal. former vice president often speaks about his pride for his late son Beau’s service in Delaware Army National Guard. As he spoke, Biden grew angry, raising his voice to rebut Trump’s alleged comments that Marines who died in battle were “suckers” for getting killed.

“When my son was an assistant U.S. attorney and he volunteered to go to Kosovo when war was going on, as a civilian, he wasn't a sucker,” Biden declared.

“When my son volunteered to join United States military as attorney general, he went to Iraq for a year, won Bronze Star and or commendations, he wasn’t a sucker!”

Beau Biden died of cancer in 2015.

Returning to Washington from a Thursday visit to Pennsylvania, Trump told reporters that Atlantic report was “a disgraceful situation” by a “terrible magazine.”

“I would be willing to swear on anything that I never said that about our fallen heroes,” Trump told reporters, gared on tarmac in dark. “re is body that respects m more. animal — body — what animal would say such a thing?”

Biden has framed election from start as a referendum on Trump’s character. His allies quickly seized on reported comments in hopes y could drive a wedge between military families and veterans and Trump. y also believe issue could help win over disaffected Republican voters who are fed up with Trump’s constant controversies.

In particular, Biden's team believes his well-documented experience, both personally and politically, with military issues could help him make inroads with a population that broadly supported Trump in 2016 election and could help sway election this year in a number of close swing states. Biden himself has t served in military.

Military families were broadly supportive of Trump in 2016 election, and a Pew Research Center survey of veterans conducted in June 2019 found overall that veterans were more supportive of Trump than general public, and that roughly 60% of veterans polled identified as Republicans.

On a call with reporters hosted by Biden campaign Friday, Illiis Sen. Tammy Duckworth lambasted Trump for “belittling sacrifices of those who have shown more bravery than he’s capable of.”

Duckworth, a retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel who lost both of her legs in Iraq War, has been a prominent critic of Trump’s handling of military issues. Kcking Trump for allegedly inventing an injury to avoid serving in Vietnam War, Duckworth said she’d “take my wheelchair and my titanium legs over Donald Trump’s supposed bone spurs any day.”

Khizr Khan, Gold Star far who drew national attention after criticizing Trump during 2016 Democratic National Convention, joined Duckworth on call and said Trump’s “life is a testament to selfishness.”

“Words we say are windows into our souls. So when Donald Trump calls anyone who places ir lives in service of ors a loser, we understand Trump’s soul,” he said. Khan's son, Humayun, was killed in action in Iraq in 2004.

In 2016, Trump responded to criticism from Khan by claiming he'd made sacrifices of his own and by making an Islamophobic attack on Khan's wife, Ghazala Khan, who was wearing a headscarf at Democratic convention, saying: “She had thing to say. She probably — maybe she wasn’t allowed to have anything to say. You tell me.”

Trump also denied calling late Arizona Sen. John McCain, a decorated Navy officer who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam, a “loser" after his August 2018 death.

Trump ackwledged Thursday he was “never a fan” of McCain and disagreed with him, but said he still respected him and approved everything to do with his “first-class triple-A funeral” without hesitation because “I felt he deserved it.”

In 2015, shortly after launching his presidential candidacy, Trump publicly blasted McCain, saying, “He’s t a war hero.” He added, “I like people who weren’t captured.” At time, Trump also shared a news article on Twitter calling McCain a “loser.”

Trump only amplified his criticism of McCain as Arizona lawmaker grew critical of his acerbic style of politics, culminating in a late-night “” vote scuttling Trump’s plans to repeal Affordable Care Act. That vote shattered what few partisan loyalties bound two men, and Trump has continued to attack McCain for that vote, even posthumously.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told “Fox & Friends” on Friday that he was with president for a good part of trip to France. “I never heard him use words that are described in that article,” Pompeo said.

Asked Friday about possibility of seeing Trump when y will both be in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, for anniversary of Sept. 11 terrorist attacks next week, Biden said: “I didn’t kw he was going until after I anunced on my own. Of course.”

Asked if he’d be willing to share a st with Trump, he said: “Yes. He’s still president of United States of America.”