Former President Donald Trump made disparaging comments about an injured US Army veteran after he sang “God Bless America” during his presidency, according to a new report.
Trump allegedly made the nasty remarks at General Mark Milley’s welcome ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in 2019, after Army captain Luis Avila, who was seriously wounded in Afghanistan, sang “God Bless America,” The Atlantic reported.
“Why did you bring such a person here? Nobody wants to see him, that hurt,” Trump is said to have told Milley in front of several witnesses as he walked over to congratulate Avila after the show.
Avila, who was handpicked to perform by Milley, has completed five combat tours and lost a leg in an IED attack in Afghanistan, according to the Atlantic.
As a result of his injuries, he later suffered two heart attacks, two strokes, and brain damage.
Trump greets disabled Army captain Luis Avila after he sings “God Bless America”
When Avila’s wheelchair nearly tipped over due to the soft, wet ground, Milley’s wife, Hollyanne, ran to help, as did then-Vice President Mike Pence.
Video of the ceremony showed Trump greeting Avila afterward.
Trump told Milley, who considers Avila and his wife, Claudia, symbols of American heroism and sacrifice, to never let the wounded vet appear in public again.
Trump reportedly made lewd comments at Milley’s 2019 welcome party.
The general, who has lost 242 soldiers under his command fighting in the Middle East, was deeply troubled by the comments, the Atlantic reported.
“The Milley family adores the military, and Trump’s attitude toward uniformed service seems shallow, callous, and, at the deepest human level, disgusting,” The Atlantic reports.
Milley recently invited Avila to sing at his retirement party, the outlet said.
Trump has a history of making disparaging comments about the US military, including allegedly referring to fallen soldiers at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France as “losers” and “suckers” after he refused to attend a memorial service in 2018, according to a report from the Atlantic on that time.
Mark Milley will retire as the top officer of the United States military next month.ZUMAPRESS.com
Trump denied ever making that statement.
The 45th president clashed with several military officers during his four years in office.
John Kelly, a retired Marine general who served as Trump’s chief of staff in 2017 and 2018, called Trump “the most flawed person” he had ever met.
Similarly, James Mattis, also a retired Marine general who served as Trump’s first defense secretary, wrote that the former president was “more dangerous than anyone could have imagined.”
Milley will retire next month after 44 years in the military.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
