Donald Trump's military attack ad against Joe Biden fact checked (2024)

Donald Trump released a campaign ad via Truth Social this week attacking Joe Biden's attitude towards service members, under the vicious title "Biden Hates the Military!"

The video refers to seven stories, criticizing Biden for his manner and White House correspondence with veterans and their families. The film also takes aim at claims that Trump called World War I veterans "suckers," a line that Biden's 2024 campaign has used against the former president.

Newsweek has investigated each of the claims, which combine a mixture of accurate stories, disputed accounts, and out-of-context news reports.

Biden repeated "debunked" claim that Trump called service members "suckers"

The video starts with footage of Joe Biden saying that Trump "reportedly said, and I emphasize reportedly said, that those who sign up to serve instead of doing something more lucrative are suckers."

This refers to a report published by The Atlantic in 2020 in which anonymous sources said Trump called World War I veterans "losers" and "suckers." The account has been repeatedly denied by Trump's campaign but supported by comments in other reports.

The Atlantic article highlighted Trump's 2018 visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris, where the president reportedly told senior staff members: "Why should I go to that cemetery? It's filled with losers." The article went on to say he labeled veterans "suckers" for getting killed in battle.

As per reports at the time, the trip was canceled, with The White House citing that bad weather had grounded Trump's helicopter.

Trump's White House denied the comments were said. This refutation was addressed in the Truth Social video, with a recording of former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany saying: "I want to address what is quite clearly fake news. Eyewitnesses and contemporaneous documents have categorically debunked the story in The Atlantic."

The article, titled "Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are 'Losers' and 'Suckers,'" was based on several sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Biden's 2024 campaign has seized on The Atlantic's reporting, releasing an attack video at the time of last week's Normandy commemorations, featuring the "suckers" and "losers" comments, which Trump addressed during a speech in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung provided Newsweek comments from co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita who said that the "Biden campaign is peddling a fake and thoroughly debunked story"

"The fact remains that severe weather conditions on that day prevented the safe transportation of the president and guests to the cemetery, and he participated in a ceremony at the Suresnes American Cemetery the next day," LaCivita said.

"The Biden team is desperate because they know Biden has repeatedly disrespected the men and women who serve this country with honor and valor every single day."

Cheung added there were 19 officials "who went on the record disputing The Atlantic story."

A statement released by the White House in September 2020 included a list of quotes from 19 officials "Refuting Anonymous Sources in False 'The Atlantic' Story." Some of the quotes are specific, such as from former deputy assistant to the President Jordan Karem, who said it was "100 percent false," adding he was alongside Trump the day of the visit.

Others were less specific, told by people who were not there, or gave secondhand statements. The substance of some of the comments focuses on conversations about whether Trump would have been able to attend because of bad weather, while others did not contain a flat denial.

John Bolton who said in his statement: "I didn't hear either of those comments or anything even resembling them" also said in an interview: "I'm not saying he didn't say them later in the day or another time, but I was there for that discussion" as reported by The New York Times.

Other former Trump staffers have supported The Atlantic's article, most notably John F. Kelly, Trump's 2018 White House chief of staff.

In a statement to CNN in 2023, Kelly referenced several remarks that Trump reportedly made during his time in office, including the reference to "suckers."

"A person that thinks those who defend their country in uniform, or are shot down or seriously wounded in combat, or spend years being tortured as POWs are all 'suckers' because 'there is nothing in it for them,'" Kelly said.

"A person that did not want to be seen in the presence of military amputees because 'it doesn't look good for me.'"

In a statement to CNN, Trump's spokespeople responded: "John Kelly has totally clowned himself with these debunked stories he's made up because he didn't serve his president well while working as chief of staff."

Reporters outside The Atlantic supported the article's claims. In 2020 Jennifer Griffin, the National Security Correspondent for Fox News, said her sources, which included two senior former Trump administration officials on the trip to France "confirmed key parts of The Atlantic article and certainly described a pattern of behavior by the president in describing war veterans and wounded warriors that coincides with the description in the Atlantic article."

Griffin posted on X, formerly Twitter, in 2020, claims from these officials, one of whom said: "When the President spoke about the Vietnam War... 'It was a stupid war. Anyone who went was a sucker.'"

"As always, you know, Neil, Deep Throat was an unnamed source. It didn't make what he said untrue. My sources are not anonymous to me, and I doubt they are anonymous to the president," Griffin told Neil Cavuto on Cavuto Live.

In response, Trump tweeted: "All refuted by many witnesses. Jennifer Griffin should be fired for this kind of reporting. Never even called us for comment. @FoxNews is gone!"

Other anonymous officials speaking to The Associated Press and The Washington Post further supported some of the Atlantic's reporting. A senior Defense Department official told AP Trump had not wanted to visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery because it was "filled with losers," while a senior administration official told the Post that Trump referred to veterans and soldiers missing in action at times as "losers."

Biden campaign spokesperson James Springer doubled down on the "suckers" allegation, telling Newsweek: "Donald Trump, a man who knows nothing about service to others, has called fallen soldier's 'suckers', war hero John McCain a 'loser,' demeaned Gold Star families, and as president, proposed cutting veterans benefits.

"We will not apologize for standing up for veterans, service members, and their families against the threat and insults of Donald Trump."

There is no recorded footage of Trump making these comments and the accounts largely come from anonymous sources. On-the-record statements made by some of Trump's officials who were there on the day bear weight too.

However, the detail of The Atlantic's reporting, the specificity of the claims, and the corroboration from other sources beyond The Atlantic's story, are thorough. Trump's previous on-the-record comments about the late Republican Arizona Senator John McCain was quoted in the context of this reporting, pointing to Trump's manner when speaking about veterans.

In 2015, Trump said McCain was "not a war hero" because he had been captured and spent five years in captivity during the Vietnam war.

"He's not a war hero. He's a war hero because he was captured," Trump told a summit in 2015.

"I like people that weren't captured."

Biden called troops "stupid bastards"

The Truth Social video goes on to present footage where Biden appears to call troops "stupid bastards." In the clip, Biden said: "And two, I appointed Johnson to the Academy, I just want you to know that.

After a pause, Biden added: "Clap for that, you stupid bastards."

While it's true that Biden said this, the clip has been taken out of context. The footage was taken from a trip Biden made to the Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi, Arab Emirates, in March 2016.

Speaking to troops, Biden told crowds that he had good judgment, demonstrated by marrying his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, and by appointing Lt. Karen Johnson—who introduced Biden to the stage—to one of the U.S.' five military academies.

"And I want you to know notwithstanding what you may hear about me, I have incredibly good judgment," Biden said.

"One, I married Jill. And two, I appointed Johnson to the academy. I just want you to know that. Clap for that, you stupid bastards.

"Come on, man. Man, you are a dull bunch. Must be slow here, man. I don't know."

In the full context of the video, the remarks appear to be made in jest, with Biden just before praising services for the "incredible sacrifices you make for our country."

A statement from Chris LaCivita, sent by Trump's media representatives, did not see the funny side of it, however, saying that Biden had "disrespected U.S. service members by calling them 'silly bastards.'"

Guardsmen pictured sleeping on floor of parking garage

The Truth Social video then plays footage from a report about "hundreds of troops sleeping on the floor of a parking garage."

This refers to a story from January 2021 when images spread online showing members of the National Guard stationed at the Capitol, deployed for the presidential inauguration, sleeping in a car park.

The scene led to a public outcry, including from some Democratic politicians.

"Unreal. I can't believe that the same brave servicemembers we've been asking to protect our Capitol and our Constitution these last two weeks would be unceremoniously ordered to vacate the building," Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) said.

A Guard statement at the time said: "Brig. Gen. Janeen Birckhead, Inauguration Task Force Commander confirms that troops are out of the garage and back into the Capitol building as authorized by the USCP (U.S. Capitol Police) Watch Commander and the troops will take their breaks near Emancipation Hall going forward."

Guard spokesperson Maj. Matt Murphy told Politico that Capitol Police had asked the troops to move due to "increased foot traffic" with Congress in session.

The degree to which Biden is directly to blame for this is debatable having only just been inaugurated, with administration officials saying he had telephoned the chief of the National Guard Bureau to express his dismay over the situation, asking what he could do about it.

Biden walked out of Medal of Honor ceremony

Trump's post also references Biden in September 2023 walking out on a Medal of Honor ceremony, showing a clip of the president leaving a reception while Capt. Larry Taylor, who was awarded the medal, looked around.

Full footage of this happening is still available online. In response to reporters' questions about this, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said "he left as planned."

"He left when there was a pause in the program in order to minimize his close contact with attendees who are about to participate in a reception," Jean-Pierre said, adding later "We've got to put this all in context. We planned for the president to leave when there was a pause in the program so that it would minimize him being in the room. He did just that.

"And I also would want to add that before the event started, the president spent a good amount of time with the captain, Capt. Taylor and his family. And everybody was masked because he wanted to spend that quality, important time."

Newsweek has contacted White House media representatives for further comment.

Biden checking his watch during dignified transfer of service members

The Truth Social post then recalls reports from August 2021 of Biden checking his watch at the Dover Air Force Base during the dignified transfer of American service members killed in Afghanistan.

The video includes accounts, from the families of two of the soldiers who died: Marine Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover and Marine Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz.

Speaking to Fox News, Darin Hoover, Staff Sgt. Hoover's father, said "In reference to the checking of his watch, that didn't happen just once. That happened on every single one that came out of that airplane."

Another clip of Mark Schmitz, father of Lance Cpl Jared Schmitz, also told Fox News "I actually leaned into my son's mother's ear and I said, 'I swear to God, if he checks his watch one more time ...' and that was only probably four times in.

"I couldn't look at him anymore after that, just considering, especially, the time and why we were there. I found it to be the most disrespectful thing I've ever seen."

A 2021 Fact Check by Snopes confirmed that Biden checked his watch at least twice, noting that an entire broadcast of the ceremony was not available. Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment.

White House did not reach out to family of Marine killed in Afghanistan

Trump's post then mentions the account of Christy Shamblin, mother-in-law of Marine Sergeant Nicole Gee, who told CNN in March 2024 that the White House had not reached out to her family after her family member's death.

Gee, was among the 13 U.S. troops killed in an ISIS-K attack on Kabul in 2021 amid the U.S. departure from Afghanistan.

"No. He has not reached out to our family. We've actually reached out to the White House and have never heard back," Shamblin said.

Gee was referenced by Biden in statements commemorating the soldiers killed in the Kabul attack in 2021 and 2022. However, Newsweek has not found any other statements by Biden about Gee or reports that he has spoken to her family since Shamblin's interview. Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment.

Biden tried to shake hand with marine who lost his arm

The last clip is given the most attention, playing footage from an interview with Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews, who claimed that during a visit to him at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center the president tried to shake his hand, despite Vargas-Andrews having lost his arm, also saying Biden was late to meet him, among other allegations.

Appearing on the Shawn Ryan Show in July 2023, Vargas-Andrews said: "And right away, I remember him coming up to me trying to shake my hand, shake my right hand, and I look at him, and I'm like, 'I don't have an arm,'" he said.

"My left arm is in this big a** cast with this giant orange f****** foam block around it. I'm completely immobile. All I can do is move my head. My arm's gone. I don't have an arm."

"He says 'Oh' and, like, kind of stands up and then, like, goes over to reach for my fingers because about an inch of my fingers are showing and just, like, grabs my fingers. Doesn't say, doesn't greet me or anything, just, that what happens, grabs my fingers."

Newsweek could not find a statement from the White House responding to Vargas-Andrews allegations and has contacted media representatives for comment.

In a statement sent to Newsweek, Trump co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita added: "Joe Biden has disrespected U.S. service members by calling them 'silly bastards,' showed his lack of empathy by repeatedly checking his watch during a solemn ceremony for soldiers killed during the catastrophic Afghanistan withdrawal, and has been criticized by Gold Star families for his lack of respect.

"The fact is that under Biden, America is weaker on the world stage and has made America more vulnerable."

Update 06/14/2024 7:33 a.m. ET: This article's headline was updated.