One of the most shocking and, frankly, appalling aspects of the seemingly unconditional support that Trump supporters give to their chosen leader is their constantly giving him a pass for his rather extensive list of slights and general disrespect to veterans.
Trump belongs to the Republican party - the party that has repeatedly cut benefits to veterans.
It could have worked against the GOP, and against Trump, specifically undermining his reputation as being a fan and a serious, fighting advocate and champion for veterans. Somehow, though, it did not.
The fact that he got a formal military education and was supposedly prepared for serious serving, and then opted out of actual service in Vietnam, citing bone spurs, surely could have been taken as a serious strike against him by either veterans, or those who claim to support them.
That easily could have worked against Trump, specifically undermining his reputation as being a fan and a serious, fighting advocate and champion for veterans. But it did not.
Then, there was his attack against John McCain, when Trump made the disrespectful crack questioning McCain's status as a war hero, and suggesting that he prefers veterans who were not caught by the enemy.
That, too, easily could have worked against Trump, particularly eroding the illusion that he is sticking up for veterans. Somehow, though, it did not.
As if that already were not enough, Trump questioned veterans suffering from PTSD, and had the audacity to suggest that perhaps they were not tough enough. This, from the man who cited bone spurs as the reason that he could not use his supposedly quality military training in Vietnam.
Again, that easily could have worked against Trump, specifically undermining his reputation as taking veterans concerns seriously. But it did not.
We have grown used to ridiculous, outlandish nonsense coming from this White House administration, and particularly form this infantile president. And now, this weekend's ridiculous nonsense underscores, once again, Trump's disrespect towards soldiers and veterans, and the sacrifice that they have given and the price that many of them have paid.
On the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, leaders gather in France to honor the memory of those who fought and suffered under horrific conditions during that war. These men spent years of their lives in trenches, facing the dangers of the No Man's Land, enduring relentless shelling and chemical weapons attacks, and conditions that were downright horrific. On top of all of this, they had to deal with the weather, which is frequently cold, gray, rainy and miserable.
Yet, they served, and continued to fight in a war that more and more people questioned as it went along.
Every other leader braved the rainy conditions to pay homage to these soldiers...except for Donald Trump.
Indeed, his complete disregard for the sacrifices of veterans runs so deep, that not only on Veteran's Day weekend, but the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, Trump could not be bothered to even make a ten to fifteen minute speech to honor them, and cited rain as the reason for this.
It could and, let's be honest, should, work against Trump, and specifically against his credibility as a strong man.
Somehow, at least among the sheep-like supporters of Trump, who feel that this man cannot make any mistakes, it surely will not. That much, by now, we need to understand.
But that did not mean the rest of the world did not take notice. Or fail to blast Trump's ridiculous disrespect towards World War I veterans, who endured a lot of rain, and quite a bit more, for years and years in the trenches of eastern France.
French President Macron took aim at Trump, citing the very brand of nationalism that Trump has professed to believe in and champion as the powder keg that triggered the outbreak of that horrific "Great War." Trump remained seated and wordless, but his facial reactions, depending on who you ask, were either stone-faced or petulant. Trump and Macron seemed to hit it off shortly afterward, but Trump left France before he could attend some other scheduled events marking the momentous occasion.
So, here we are again. Trump has done something on the world stage that has justly received worldwide condemnation. It should undermine his credibility not only of being some kind of a hero to veterans, but also to being qualified as an actual statesman. Indeed, it has done that much for the vast majority of the world, as has many of his other actions that have received worldwide condemnation, such as withdrawing from several international treaties, threatening to wipe out another nation off the map, refusing to clearly condemn white supremacists and outright Nazis, and referring to several other countries as "shithole nations."
Yet predictably, among Trump fans, it surely will not.
Here is the article elaborating on how Macron took aim at Trump's proud nationalism as the problem that can create tensions that allowed World War I to erupt, rather than any kind of solution or answer to the world's present problems:
Macron rebukes nationalism as Trump observes Armistice Day By Kevin Liptak, CNN, November 11, 2018:
https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/11/politics/donald-trump-armistice-day-paris/index.html?utm_content=2018-11-11T13%3A45%3A03&utm_term=link&utm_medium=social&utm_source=fbCNN
Somehow, at least among the sheep-like supporters of Trump, who feel that this man cannot make any mistakes, it surely will not. That much, by now, we need to understand.
But that did not mean the rest of the world did not take notice. Or fail to blast Trump's ridiculous disrespect towards World War I veterans, who endured a lot of rain, and quite a bit more, for years and years in the trenches of eastern France.
French President Macron took aim at Trump, citing the very brand of nationalism that Trump has professed to believe in and champion as the powder keg that triggered the outbreak of that horrific "Great War." Trump remained seated and wordless, but his facial reactions, depending on who you ask, were either stone-faced or petulant. Trump and Macron seemed to hit it off shortly afterward, but Trump left France before he could attend some other scheduled events marking the momentous occasion.
So, here we are again. Trump has done something on the world stage that has justly received worldwide condemnation. It should undermine his credibility not only of being some kind of a hero to veterans, but also to being qualified as an actual statesman. Indeed, it has done that much for the vast majority of the world, as has many of his other actions that have received worldwide condemnation, such as withdrawing from several international treaties, threatening to wipe out another nation off the map, refusing to clearly condemn white supremacists and outright Nazis, and referring to several other countries as "shithole nations."
Yet predictably, among Trump fans, it surely will not.
Here is the article elaborating on how Macron took aim at Trump's proud nationalism as the problem that can create tensions that allowed World War I to erupt, rather than any kind of solution or answer to the world's present problems:
Macron rebukes nationalism as Trump observes Armistice Day By Kevin Liptak, CNN, November 11, 2018:
https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/11/politics/donald-trump-armistice-day-paris/index.html?utm_content=2018-11-11T13%3A45%3A03&utm_term=link&utm_medium=social&utm_source=fbCNN
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