I saw the headline “Trump: American’s Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’”. The part of me that cares wanted to read it. The part of me resigned to the belief that nobody cares what that poor excuse of a human says anymore won out. I don’t remember what I read instead, but when I finished whatever it was, I saw the next headline: The Story from the Atlantic…….has legs”. This time the part of me that cares, won out.
I read Jeffrey Goldberg’s article from start to finish, and then I read it again. There are few things in this world that are beyond reproach. I believe the men and women who sacrificed their lives to protect and defend this country are one of them. Tears ran down my face as I read the article a third time, and then a fourth, and a fifth., There was so much there – so many instances, so much contempt, so much disgust. I was horrified.
In the days since, Donald Trump denied the allegations in the article. Jeffrey Goldberg stands by them. The sources cited have remained anonymous so we can’t ask them. So, it comes down to a matter of credibility. Who is more believable.
What horrified me when I read the article wasn’t that I found the details shocking, it was the realization that I didn’t. Every instance, every comment, the contempt, the disgust – it was all consistent with the person Trump has shown himself to be. He has insulted those leading our armed forces. He has spoken disparagingly about enlisted personnel, as well. After that, to believe he would insult those who died serving this country didn’t seem that much of a stretch.
When Trump denied the allegations, he denied ever calling John McCain a loser. That is a lie. I saw the video. I read the tweet. He did call John McCain a loser. Twice. Lying while denying doesn’t help one’s credibility.
Sometimes though, credibility isn’t established by what is said; rather by what isn’t. Goldberg wrote about the day Donald Trump accompanied John Kelly to the gravesite of his fallen son, Robert. He told us about that instance in detail, including the specific words Trump spoke that day. In doing so, he revealed a level of depravity and callousness I didn’t believe even the likes of Donald Trump possessed.
John Kelly has shown on several occasions, that he is not afraid to speak out when he feels a situation calls for it. He did so about North Korea, immigration, Alexander Vindman, and the use of military force on peaceful protestors. Now I can’t imagine how John Kelly felt when he heard the words Donald Trump spoke that afternoon at his son’s gravesite. Nor can I imagine how he felt when he read those words again in Jeffrey Goldberg’s article. But I don’t have to imagine what John Kelly would do if a journalist fabricated a story about his fallen son for political gain. He’s already shown me that. If Jeffrey Goldberg’s article were not accurate, what we would be hearing from John Kelly would not be his silence.
Your silence, General Kelly, tells me everything I need to know.