March 28, 2024
Local News

Foster denounces Trump for alleged remarks disparaging fallen soldiers

'It is embarrassing that he is Commander-in-Chief'

U.S. Rep. Bill Foster blasted President Donald Trump for allegedly making disparaging remarks about fallen U.S. soldiers, including calling them "losers" and "suckers," as reported in a national magazine last week.

After the story broke last week, the alleged comments caused an uproar among many military veterans, elected officials, and Trump's 2020 rival and former Vice President Joe Biden. The report detailed multiple instances of Trump making such remarks, including at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France in 2018.

Foster's office posted a link to the story on its Facebook page Friday.

"Just when we thought President Trump couldn't sink any lower, we find out what he really thinks about veterans and those who've sacrificed their lives for our country," Foster, D-Naperville, said in the post. "It is embarrassing that he is Commander-in-Chief."

On Saturday, Foster added in another post, "The veterans who call the 11th District home are heroes in our community. They deserve better than a President who disparages them and mocks their sacrifice."

Trump has vehemently denied that he made the comments. On Thursday, the president called the report "fake news," according to a transcript of his remarks at the Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility in Maryland.

"The kind of news that’s ruining your profession," Trump said, according to the transcript, "And everyone knows it’s totally false."

Still, multiple other news outlets have confirmed portions of the original report since the story first broke.

Alex Ortiz

Alex Ortiz

Alex Ortiz is a reporter for The Herald-News in Joliet. Originally from Romeoville, Ill., he joined The Herald-News in 2017 and mostly covers Will County government, politics, education and more. He earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master's degree from Northwestern University.