Trump call to widow under fire
US President Donald Trump told the widow of a soldier killed during an ambush in Niger “he knew what he was signing up for”, according to a politician who accused him of insensitivity.
Frederica Wilson, a Democratic congresswoman from Florida, said she had listened to part of a group phone call between the president and the grieving family of Sergeant David Johnson.
“I didn’t hear the whole phone call, but I heard him say: ‘I’m sure he knew what he was signing up for, but it still hurts’,” she said.
Trump denied making the comments, tweeting: “Democrat Congresswoman totally fabricated what I said to the soldier’s wife [and I have proof]. Sad!”
Johnson was one of four US soldiers killed earlier this month in Niger, where Islamic State fighters have established a presence.
The Miami resident’s body was returned home on Tuesday afternoon.
He is survived by his wife Myeshia, who is pregnant with the couple’s third child.
After the phone call, Myeshia “was crying, she broke down. She said ‘he didn’t even know his name’,” Wilson said, referring to Trump.
Trump had faced criticism for not contacting the families of the soldiers killed in Niger right away.
At a media briefing on Monday, he said he had written them letters and would call soon, while accusing his predecessor Barack Obama of neglecting to call as many grieving families as he had.
He also suggested in a call to Fox News radio on Tuesday that Obama had not made a condolence call to retired Marine general John Kelly, Trump’s White House chief of staff, after his son was killed in action in Afghanistan.
The comments sparked outrage from former Obama aides, who said Trump’s claims were baseless. –