'My son wasn't a sucker!' Biden blasts Trump for mocking dead soldiers, says 'who the heck does he think he is?'
President Donald Trump’s alleged disrespectful remarks against America’s fallen soldiers have drawn the ire of his presidential opponent Joe Biden who also sought on Friday, September 4, an apology from the former to Gold Star families who have lost their near and dear ones while in duty for the country. The former vice president called Trump’s remarks “a disgrace” and said he has never been as disappointed in his entire career.
The veteran politician also got personal while reacting to Trump’s remarks and mentioned his late son Beau who had served in the military between 2002 and 2015 before dying of brain cancer at the age of 46. He was the eldest of Biden’s three children from his first wife Neilia. It is the second time that Beau’s name featured in Joe’s words in less than a month. In August, when Biden appeared in Delaware with his running mate Kamala Harris for the first time post her nomination, both agreed over the fact it was Biden’s late elder son -- a longtime friend of Harris -- who played a key role in building the partnership.
Beau served in the Delaware Army National Guard and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his service in Iraq - from October 2008 to September 2009. After his death, the then Army Chief of Staff Raymond Odierno gave the eulogy at his funeral and presented a posthumous Legion of Merit for his service.
Speaking about his son after The Atlantic report alleged that Trump refused to visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018 because he did not think it was worthy enough to honor Americans who died in the Battle of Belleau Wood (June 1918) in the First World War (1914-18). The president reportedly said: “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” He was even accused of referring to over 1,800 marines who lost their lives in the battle as “suckers” for getting killed. The Battle of Belleau Wood, which saw a comprehensive defeat of the German forces, was a defining moment in the war for the Marine Corps.
'Who the heck does he think he is?'
Biden, who delivered a speech from Wilmington, Delaware, thundered against Trump saying “who the heck does he think he is?” and declared that his son wasn't a “sucker” for serving. “Let me be real clear. When my son was an assistant US Attorney and volunteered to go to Kosovo while the war was going on as a civilian, he wasn't a sucker. My son volunteered and joined the United States military as the attorney general, went to Iraq for a year, won the bronze star and other commendations, he wasn't a sucker,” Biden said with his voice getting louder.
“The servicemen and women he served with, particularly those that didn't come home, were not losers. If these statements are true, the president should humbly apologize to every Gold Star mother and father, every Blue Star family that he's denigrated and insulted. Who the heck does he think he is?” the 77-year-old added. Biden also praised the army saying: “These folks are the backbone of America. They're the heart, the soul, the grit. That's what patriotism is about.”
The former veep also brought up Trump’s controversial response that came following the death of former Arizona Republican senator John McCain, who was also a military veteran and Biden's long-time friend. He said Trump was “the same guy that when the ship went in the harbor, he made sure the USS McCain was covered [so] we couldn't see it. He's the same guy that denigrated John.”
Biden used a series of words to condemn the president on the occasion, calling him “sick, deplorable, un-American, unpatriotic” and a “disgrace.” Biden was scheduled to give the speech on the economy but chose to talk on the controversy over the report. He later shifted to the economic consequences of Covid-19 and said Trump’s handling of the pandemic made things worse.
The Democratic presidential nominee said he is always warned against losing his temper but conceded that on Friday, he came closest to losing it in his campaign. “Just a marker of how deeply President Trump and I disagree about the role of the president of the United States of America,” he said.
The former No. 2 said he carries his son’s medal with him but was too emotional to bring it with him to his speech on Friday as he was afraid over what he would say. He also wears his son’s rosary beads around his wrist. The president and his allies dismissed the Atlantic report as false and Trump said there was no need for an apology since it was a “fake story,” Associated Press reported.