President Donald Trump issued his first public comments on the deaths of four elite U.S. special forces troops in Niger – and his remarks consisted almost entirely of statements about his own feelings when addressing families of the fallen.
At an unexpected press event in the Rose Garden, Trump was asked why he hadn’t commented yet on the ambush – where four elite special forces died in an ambush by an Isis-affiliated group.
‘I’ve written them personal letters. They’ve been sent or they’re going out tonight but they were written during the weekend,’ Trumps responded. ‘I will at some point during the period of time call the parents and the families. Because I have done that traditionally.’
Then Trump pivoted to his own state of mind when having to deliver such difficult news.
President Donald Trump made his first comments on the deadly ambush that killed four American special forces troops in Niger Oct. 4
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell at his side in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., October 16, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
‘I felt very, very badly about that. I always feel badly. The toughest calls I have to make are the calls where this happens. Soldiers are killed. It’s a very difficult thing. It gets to a point where, you know, you make four or five of them in one day, it’s a very, very tough day. For me that’s by far the toughest.’
Then, Trump pivoted to taking a shot at his predecessor. ‘
‘So the traditional way if you look at president Obama and other presidents – most of them didn’t’ make calls,’ Trump said. ‘A lot of them didn’t make calls. I like to call when it’s appropriate, when I think I’m able to do it. They have made the ultimate sacrifice, so generally I would say that I like to call.’
US Army Special Forces soldiers observe as Nigerien armed forces service members fire their weapons with the assistance of illumination rounds during an exercise
President Donald Trump answers questions as he speaks with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., in the Rose Garden after their meeting at the White House, Monday, Oct. 16, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Those calls are expected in the near future.
‘I’m going to be calling them. I want a little time to pass. I’m going to be calling them. I have, as you know, since I’ve been president I have. But in addition, I actually wrote letters individually to the soldiers we’re talking about, and they’re going to be going out either today or tomorrow,’ Trump said.
Former Obama communications director Dan Pfeiffer said on Twitter Trump was ‘lying’ when he made the claim Obama didn’t call families of fallen troops.
A 12-man Green Beret team had just met with local leaders when they came under an ambush, CNN reported. They ultimately got rescued by French Mirage jets. The publication noted that Trump was playing golf on Saturday when the body of 25-year-old Army Sgt. La David Johnson was returned to Dover Air Force Base.
Trump was asked how he could back up his statement that President Obama didn’t call, and offered further remarks on his process.
‘I don’t know if he did. I was told that he didn’t often. A lot of presidents don’t, they write letters. I do a combination of both. Sometimes it’s a very difficult thing to do but I do a combination of both,’ he said.
‘President Obama I think probably did sometimes and maybe sometimes he didn’t. I don’t know that’s what I was told,’ Trump continued.
‘Other presidents did not call, they’d write letters and some presidents didn’t do anything. I like when I can the combination of a call and also a letter,’ the president explained.
Defense Secretary James Mattis has rejected criticism of France’s air response to the attack near the border of Niger and Mali.
“I completely reject the idea that that was slow,” Mattis said.
The soldiers ran into a group of militants armed with machine guns and traveling in pickup trucks, the New York Times reported.
The Pentagon has released the names of those killed in the deadly ambush. They are Staff Sgt. Bryan Black, Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson, Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, and Sgt. La David T. Johnson.