Published 16:20 IST, September 30th 2020
Trump fires at Biden saying Hunter was 'dishonourably discharged' from Navy; here's truth
President Donald Trump on September 29 said that the Hunter Biden, son of his opponent in the upcoming election, was "dishonourably discharged" from the Navy.
US President Donald Trump on September 29 said that the Hunter Biden, son of his opponent in the upcoming election, was "dishonourably discharged" from the Navy. Trump was responding to an attack by Joe Biden, who accused the President of calling fallen American troops "losers" and "s***ers". The former vice-president, during the first presidential debate on Tuesday, said his son Beau Biden, who was an officer in the US Army, was not a "loser" and neither are the people who fought for America on foreign soils and lost their lives in the process.
Biden was referring to a recent report in The Atlantic, which claimed Trump, during his 2018 trip to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France near Paris, cancelled the visit because it was raining outside and he was worried that the rain would ruin his hair. The report alleged that Trump asked one of his staff members why he should visit a place filled with "losers" and "s***ers", referring to the fallen soldiers who died while fighting.
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'Wasn't dishonourably discharged'
Trump fired back by saying that he doesn't know Beau, who died of brain cancer in 2015, but he definitely knows Hunter, the Democratic leader's second son. Trump said that Hunter was "dishonourably discharged" from the Navy in 2013 because of testing positive for cocaine use. Biden, while admitting that his son had a drug problem, said that Hunter wasn't dishonourably discharged, adding that he is proud of him for working on the problem and fixing it.
Trump further sharpened his attacks as he alleged that Hunter received about half a million dollars from the wife of the Mayor of Moscow city and asked Biden to explain it. Trump cited a finding from a recent Senate Republican investigation to back his claim. Biden dismissed the allegations saying "none of that is true", calling Trump a habitual liar.
Trump and Biden will next meet on October 15 for the second presidential debate in Miami. The two leaders will then meet once again on October 22 for the final face-off before the election. In the meantime, they will continue to hold rallies and do election campaign to woo voters for the November 3 poll.
Updated 16:19 IST, September 30th 2020