WASHINGTONâPresident Donald Trump in a tweet Wednesday denied that he had told the widow of a soldier killed in an ambush in Africa this month that her husband âmust have known what he signed up for.âBut the mother of the fallen soldier stood behind the account, saying that Trump âdid disrespectâ the family with his comments during a phone call. The president was reacting to a Florida congresswoman saying the family of Sgt. La David T. Johnson was âastonishedâ by that remark during a phone call from Trump on Tuesday. Trump said he has âproofâ that the conversation did not happen as recounted by Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson. He did not elaborate, but the claim again raised questions about whether the president tapes calls and conversations.Wilson told MSNBC on Wednesday that Johnsonâs widow, Myeshia, was shaken by the exchange.âShe was crying the whole time, and when she hung up the phone, she looked at me and said, âHe didnât even remember his name.â Thatâs the hurting part.âWilson went on to say Trump âwas almost like joking. He said, âWell, I guess you knewâ â something to the effect that âhe knew what he was getting into when he signed up, but I guess it hurts anyway.â You know, just matter-of-factly, that this is what happens, anyone who is signing up for military duty is signing up to die. Thatâs the way we interpreted it. It was horrible. It was insensitive. It was absolutely crazy, unnecessary. I was livid.ââShe was in tears. She was in tears. And she said, âHe didnât even remember his name.â âOn Tuesday, Wilson told The Washington Post that Trump had told Johnsonâs widow, âHe knew what he was signing up for, but I guess it hurts anyway.âWilson said she was riding in a limousine with Johnson when the president called, and said she heard the conversation on speake ...
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