Representatives of each of the past three U.S. Presidents have issued statements defending their character, amidst the stir, Donald Trump created when during a press conference in the Rose Garden, on Monday, October 16, he alleged that unlike them, he's reached out to soldiers and their families whenever tragedy has struck.
"President Trump’s claim is unequivocally wrong, President Obama engaged families of the fallen and wounded warriors throughout his presidency through calls, letters, visits to Section 60 at Arlington, visits to Walter Reed, visits to Dover, and regular meetings with Gold Star Families at the White House and across the country," ABC News reports one former Obama official telling them. Aides to George W. Bush and Bill Clinton also spoke out, with a spokesperson for Bush telling ABC News that the 43 Commander-In-Chief would go so far as to meet "privately with hundreds if not thousands" of veterans, and an Aid for Clinton telling ABC "He did call the families of fallen soldiers while in office."
Trump has faced a firestorm of criticism, with many believing he went too far when he suggested that “If you look at President Barack Obama and other presidents, most of them didn't make calls. A lot of them didn't make calls," in response to a reporter pressing him on why he still is yet to have contacted the families of four members of the U.S. Special Forces who were attacked in Niger two weeks ago.
