October 4, 2016 | No Comments
Donald Trump’s insinuation Monday that military members and veterans who suffer from mental health issues are not strong because they “can’t handle” what they’ve seen in combat is proof that the Manhattan billionaire “is an ignorant man,” Vice President Joe Biden said.
“When you talk about the mental health problems, when people come back from war and combat — and they see things that maybe a lot of the folks in this room have seen many times over and you’re strong and you can handle it, but a lot of people can’t handle it,” Trump said during a question-and-answer session Monday with a veterans group in Virginia. “And they see horror stories. They see events that you couldn’t see in a movie. Nobody would believe it.”
That comment seemed to agitate Biden, whose outrage at Trump’s various statements and scandals has become a theme during his campaign appearances on behalf of Hillary Clinton. The vice president said his office requests daily updates from the Pentagon on exactly how many military members have been wounded “because every one matters.”
“This is an ignorant man. This guy says things he has no idea about. He’s not a bad man, but his ignorance is so profound, so profound,” Biden said on CNN’s New Day. “The number of people coming home with unseen injuries, post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury, is significantly higher. What’s this say about a guy who doesn’t have any notion of that? Look at what these kids are going through. Look at the sacrifices they’re making. And look what they go to sleep dreading.”
The vice president recalled being asked to award a Silver Star to a military member who had been injured pulling a fellow soldier from a Humvee that had been damaged by a roadside bomb. Biden said the soldier told him “I don’t want it.”
“That kid probably goes to sleep every night with a nightmare, and this guy doesn’t understand any of that,” the vice president said, pivoting the conversation back to Trump. “How can he not understand that? How can he be so out of touch? He’s not a bad guy, but how can he be so out of touch and asked to lead this country?”
In a statement released Monday afternoon by Trump’s campaign, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said the media had misrepresented the GOP nominee’s statement at the veterans event. Flynn, the former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency and a regular surrogate for Trump, said the Manhattan billionaire “has always respected the service and sacrifice of our military men and women.”
“The media continues to operate as the propaganda arm of Hillary Clinton as they took Mr. Trump’s words out of context in order to deceive voters and veterans—an appalling act that shows they are willing to go to any length to carry water for their candidate of choice,” Flynn said. “Mr. Trump was highlighting the challenges veterans face when returning home after serving their country. He has always respected the service and sacrifice of our military men and women—proposing reforms to Veteran Affairs to adequately address the various issues veterans face when they return home.”