Donald Trump predictably made Memorial Day all about himself on Monday.
The former president began a post on his Truth Social platform innocuously enough when he wished a “happy Memorial Day to all.”
But it then devolved into a ranting screed as he continued:
“But especially to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the country they love, and to those in line of a very different, but equally dangerous fire, stopping the threats of the terrorists, misfits and lunatic thugs who are working feverishly from within to overturn and destroy our once great country, which has never been in greater peril than it is right now. We must stop the communists, Marxists and fascist ‘pigs’ at every turn and, Make America Great Again!”
See the whole, all-caps post here:
Trump was similarly self-indulgent on 2018’s Memorial Day when he suggested fallen soldiers “would be very happy” about the state of the economy under his administration.
Veterans group VoteVets at the time described it as the “most inappropriate” Memorial Day comment ever from an American president.
“Self-promotion on a day to remember the fallen, and wishing those remembering their deceased loved ones a ‘happy’ holiday is appalling,” it added.
Also in 2018, Trump reportedly described US troops killed in action as “losers” and “suckers” during a trip to France.
The former president has often criticised veterans. He also called late Senator John McCain (Republican, Arizona), who was captured and tortured during the Vietnam War, a “fucking loser.”
“He’s not a war hero. I like people who weren’t captured,” Trump said of McCain in 2015.
Trump, though, never served in the military. He received five deferments to avoid action in Vietnam, prompting Iraq War veteran Senator Tammy Duckworth (Democrat, Illinois) to call him “Cadet Bone Spurs” because one of the deferments was for alleged bone spurs.
The daughters of the podiatrist who signed Trump off with the condition have since claimed it was done only to appease Trump’s father, Fred.
During a 1998 interview with radio host Howard Stern, Trump likened avoiding contracting STDs to battle in Vietnam.
In contrast to Trump’s angry post, President Joe Biden marked Memorial Day on Twitter, writing: “We’ll never be able to repay the debt we owe them.”
Former President Barack Obama, meanwhile, honoured “brave Americans who have served our country and given their lives for our freedom.”