Debunking the Losers & Suckers Lie

Perhaps no figure has shaped journalism in the 21st century more than The New York Times' Jim Rutenberg. During the 2016 presidential election, he contended that journalists should abandon objectivity when reporting on Donald Trump, as his candidacy was so extraordinary it posed a clear and present danger to democracy, our institutions, and the nation itself. In the wake of this pronouncement, the shift in coverage was almost palpable. Left-leaning journalists, many aligned with the Democratic Party, who had once adhered to the tenets of objective reporting, swiftly morphed into partisan commentators. From The Washington Post to The New York Times, the age of dispassionate journalism seemed to reach its untimely end.

By the 2020 election, journalism—especially in its coverage of Donald Trump—had transformed beyond recognition compared to the pre-Rutenberg era. Take, for instance, Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic. What began as a story about a canceled visit to a cemetery became a defamatory narrative, alleging that Trump referred to American soldiers who died in World War I as "losers" and "suckers" during his trip to France to commemorate the war's centennial. This claim, despite its lack of foundation, continues to be echoed even four years later

.LOSERS AND SUCKERS

What, then, is the truth behind Goldberg's allegations? During Trump's visit to France to honor the American soldiers who fought and died to liberate Europe, he had indeed planned to visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, where many of those soldiers are buried. However, according to the Air Force, rain and wind made helicopter transport unsafe, and traveling by car would have taken nearly three hours roundtrip. As a result, the president was forced to cancel the cemetery visit to ensure he could attend President Emmanuel Macron's reception at the Élysée Palace, followed by a dinner with world leaders at the Musée d'Orsay.

In true Rutenbergian fashion, Goldberg's report on the schedule change leaned on four unnamed sources who supposedly feared for their jobs. These sources claimed that the president not only wanted to avoid getting wet but also disparaged the fallen soldiers, referring to them as "suckers" and saying the cemetery was filled with "losers" unworthy of his time. Ironically, the entire purpose of President Trump's visit to France was to honor America's fallen soldiers. The day after the reception and dinner, the president attended the Armistice Day Commemoration at the Arc de Triomphe, marking the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War I. The event included solemn tributes to the soldiers who fought and died in that great conflict.

If President Trump truly believed our fallen soldiers were "suckers" and "losers," it seems highly improbable that he would have invested so much time and effort in honoring them. Goldberg's "loser and suckers" allegation has become a staple Democratic talking point, regularly invoked to malign the former president. It even finds its way into the stump speeches of figures like Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Given the gravity of the accusation, it's curious that Goldberg has not taken steps to verify the story by urging his four anonymous sources to come forward and attach their names to the claim. Four years have passed since Trump left office, providing ample time for these individuals to secure new positions—so why would they still fear professional repercussions by revealing their identities now?

Goldberg has corrected the record in the past. Notably, he was one of the most vocal supporters of the Iraq War, spreading misinformation that helped rally public support for the invasion. In 2008, he published an article titled, "How Did I Get Iraq Wrong?", in which he apologized for his role in promoting the falsehoods that allowed the administration to justify the war. Yet when it comes to Trump, Goldberg seems reluctant to come clean. Under his leadership, The Atlantic advanced the narrative that Hunter Biden's laptop was Russian disinformation, vouched for the authenticity of the Steele Dossier, and promoted the idea of Trump’s collusion with Russia and Putin. To date, Goldberg has not corrected the record on these misleading claims.

Interestingly, Goldberg didn't bother to talk to the people who were with President Trump in France in a position to know the truth about what was said. For example, had he talked to General Keith Kellogg he would have learned that the president made no such statements. General Kellogg was Mike Pence's National Security Advisor (not a huge Trump fan) and stated, "I was with the president the entire day on this trip to France. ... He never said that about the troops. ... Those comments are fake. They never happened."

Trump’s National Security Advisor John Bolton, a staunch critic of the president, was present during the 2018 trip and stated, "I was there, I didn’t hear that." Similarly, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders dismissed the claims, saying, "The Atlantic story about President Trump is total BS. I was actually there and part of the discussion—this never happened." Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley echoed this sentiment, asserting, "I was there in Paris, and the president never said those things." Another Deputy Press Secretary, Judd Deere, added, "This report is false. President Trump holds the military in the highest regard." Chief of Staff Mark Meadows publicly denied the allegations, labeling them as "fake news" and expressing frustration that anonymous sources were being used to undermine Trump. Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications Dan Scavino was similarly direct, stating, "I was with the President in France, and the Atlantic story is not true. Period." Senior Advisor Stephen Miller went on record, calling the report "a despicable lie" and "completely false." Finally, White House Director of Strategic Communications Alyssa Farah disputed the story, saying she had never heard Trump disparage the troops and found the report "offensive."

In 2023, CNN ran a piece claiming that General John Kelly, in an untaped and unrecorded interview, had confirmed the infamous 2020 Atlantic story that alleged President Trump referred to fallen soldiers as "suckers" and "losers." However, upon closer inspection, Kelly did not actually verify those details, nor did he claim to have heard the president make such remarks during their visit to Paris. Instead, Kelly recounted a series of other claims, some of which are questionable at best.

He recounted, for instance, that on Memorial Day in 2017, while visiting the graves of fallen soldiers, Trump allegedly remarked, “I don’t get it, what was in it for them?” Although the precise intent behind this remark is unclear, it is entirely conceivable that Trump was lamenting the loss of life, reflecting on the human cost of sending young Americans to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Kelly also recalled Trump's disparaging quip about Senator John McCain, stating that Trump preferred "winners" over those who were shot down—likely a tasteless jab at McCain during their political rivalry, driven, no doubt, by McCain’s involvement in the dissemination of the Steele Dossier. Kelly further asserted that Trump refused to pose for photos with amputees and wounded warriors—a claim that strains credulity. Even more dubious was Kelly’s assertion that Trump held contempt for all Gold Star families, a sweeping accusation easily refuted by Trump's documented interactions.

Perhaps most inflammatory were Kelly’s charges that Trump harbored anti-Semitic sentiments, despite the well-known fact that Trump’s own daughter and grandchildren are Jewish, and that he has been an ardent supporter of Israel and the Jewish community. Further, Kelly claimed that Trump disliked workers and Black Americans, a charge inconsistent with the administration’s record. Lastly, Kelly suggested Trump despised democracy, the Constitution, and the rule of law—accusations better suited to Trump's political adversaries, who themselves have often shown little regard for such principles.

In sum, while Kelly's recounting of events is rich with dramatic flair, the substance behind many of his claims appears, at best, tenuous and, at worst, demonstrably false.

In conclusion, Jeffrey Goldberg's allegations in The Atlantic—that President Trump called fallen American soldiers "suckers" and "losers"—is nothing more than politically motivated slander. Multiple individuals who were with Trump during the 2018 trip to France, including staunch critics like John Bolton, have unequivocally denied these claims. Despite these denials, Goldberg has relied solely on anonymous sources who, four years later, have still not come forward publicly, casting serious doubt on the legitimacy of the report.

Goldberg's refusal to verify or retract the story, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, is reminiscent of his role in spreading false information to drum up support for the Iraq War. Under his leadership, The Atlantic has repeatedly pushed discredited narratives, from the Steele Dossier to the Hunter Biden laptop cover-up, without ever correcting the record. The "losers and suckers" smear has become yet another baseless attack used by Democrats to malign Trump, with no concern for the truth. It is clear that this allegation serves as a political weapon rather than a factual report, and it should be viewed with deep skepticism.