It really feels like Donald Trump is constantly trying to one-up his own offensive, absurd comments.
On Monday, the controversial candidate spoke at the Retired American Warriors PAC, and naturally insulted the very people he was there to address.
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During the appearance in Herndon, Virginia, the GOP nominee was speaking about the suicide rate among military veterans, blaming the Veterans Administration for the upsetting epidemic:
“People are killing themselves waiting on line because they have days and days before what could be a simple procedure, a simple prescription, and the wait is so long, they can’t take it.”
And, believe it or not, that ignorant, oversimplification wasn’t even the most offensive thing he said on the sensitive subject.
In fact, the 70-year-old also implied that vets suffering from PTSD are weak, saying:
“When people come back from war and combat and they see maybe what the people in this room have seen many times over, and you’re strong and you can handle it, but a lot of people can’t handle it.”
Ugh.
The Camp Hope PTSD Foundation slammed the presidential hopeful’s awful comments on Twitter, posting:
Some of the strongest people you will ever meet are #veterans facing #PTSD head on. #RoadtoHope @MichaelBerrySho pic.twitter.com/kZFicWFNcV
— PTSD Foundation (@ptsdusa) October 3, 2016
And former soldiers were obviously irritated with the Republican’s remarks.
Iraq War vet Jon Soltz told BuzzFeed that his “horrible” statement is, unfortunately, “not shocking,” saying:
“We’re talking about a person, in Trump, who believes that POWs aren’t real heroes. The constant disrespect Donald Trump shows towards our veterans and service members is sickening, and completely and totally disqualifying.”
Purple Heart recipient and fellow Iraq War alum Will Fischer echoed Jon’s sentiment, telling the outlet:
“Trump’s comments about veterans with PTSD reveal his total disdain for veterans and military families and highlight just how disconnected he is with our community. Trump’s whole campaign is littered with disrespect toward our military and veterans with calls to destroy and privatize the VA. Veterans deserve a leader and commander-in-chief who respects our contributions and experiences and doesn’t belittle us or deprive us of the resources we need to have a chance at the American dream.”
And, it’s really no secret just how disconnected Donald is from the military community.
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After all, as the New York Times reminded us in August, he was deferred from the draft for FIVE YEARS during the Vietnam War.
The first four were for education, while the New York native was attending college. But, the year after that, young Donald was supposedly diagnosed with bone spurs in his heels, making him ineligible to serve in the armed forces.
Yet somehow both before and after the diagnosis of the rare disorder (which involves slight protrusions from the bones that can sometimes make physical activity), the future candidate was able to play sports.
Considering the real estate mogul himself said this year that the condition was “temporary” and only a “minor” issue, we find it incredibly disgusting that he could possibly suggest someone immersed in such a traumatic atmosphere as war is weak for being mentally and psychologically affected by the things they’ve seen and done.
After all, if Trump was deferred from the draft for something “minor,” we’re going to go ahead and say that he’s the one who’s not strong enough.
But, in light of the new, controversial comments, Trump’s camp offered BuzzFeed a statement from Lt. General Michael Flynn (below):
“The media continues to operate as the propaganda arm of Hillary Clinton as they took Mr. Trump’s words out of context in order to deceive voters and veterans├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥an appalling act that shows they are willing to go to any length to carry water for their candidate of choice. Mr. Trump was highlighting the challenges veterans face when returning home after serving their country. He has always respected the service and sacrifice of our military men and women├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥proposing reforms to Veteran Affairs to adequately address the various issues veterans face when they return home.”
You can watch Trump’s full speech to see the words in context (below):
[Image via JLN Photography/WENN.]
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