Politics - News Analysis
Retired Navy Admiral Slams Trump For Skipping Visit to WWI Memorial, ‘He Hasn’t Visited Troops Overseas Either’
On Saturday, Donald Trump canceled his visit to a World War I Memorial in France because it was raining.
As Retired Navy Admiral James Stavridis pointed out, not venturing out in the rain to visit a war memorial was just bad optics and poor planning.
“Admiral, the last time I checked the history books, the allies did not choose to stop fighting on days when there was bad weather,” MSNBC’s Keir Simmons said.
Stavridis replied that Trump’s no-show was an “unforced error.”
“Let’s face it, there is always a backup plan,” he continued on. “I’ve planned dozens of these high-level trips…There was certainly a way he could have gotten there. He should have done so.”
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“The other leaders made it, the optics are bad here,” further noted.
Then, the admiral pointed out that Trump’s bad optics are not limited to his failure to visit a memorial. He also has not yet visited American troops currently risking their lives to fight abroad.
“Frankly, he has yet to visit a war zone as president of the United States, he hasn’t gone to Afghanistan to visit our troops,” the former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO said. “I think optics — bad on this one. I wish he made that trip.”
Stravridis was hardly the only one criticizing Trump for letting rain getting in the way of paying his respects:
On the Marine Corps' 243rd birthday, President Trump has cancelled, because of light rain, his long-planned attendance at the ceremony at Aisne-Marne, where Marines who fought at Belleau Wood are buried. The WH COS and JCS Chair will be there. The President couldn't be bothered.
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) November 10, 2018
Trump has never visited US service members fighting in Afghanistan, and now he won’t honor the fallen at a World War I cemetery because of a little rain. He is a weak, selfish, pathetic old man.
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) November 10, 2018
When Trump flies to France and then drops out of the ceremony at a military cemetery because of “rain” we must remember he’s a liar.
It could just be that he’s having a bad hair day that could be made much worse by the weather.
— Lawrence O'Donnell (@Lawrence) November 10, 2018
This wasn’t about “a little rain” messing up that flock of seagulls on his head. Trump is quite indifferent about human suffering and to the duties of his job. He also doesn’t like honoring military killed in action. Perhaps he considers them losers, too. https://t.co/pC2o3Hdzeo
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) November 10, 2018
So Trump flew to France to honor WWI Vets but he’s at a hotel instead because he’s scared of a lil’ rain? My grandfather Inyan Hoksina was barely a man when he fought in the muddy trenches of WWI. As a Native, he wasn’t yet a U.S. citizen. He needed permission to leave the Rez.
— Ruth H. Hopkins (@RuthHHopkins) November 10, 2018
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