TOGETHER THE LAST MOMENTS OF
BREONNA’S LIFE.
VELSHI STARTS NOW.
>>> GOOD MORNING.
IT’S SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5th.
I’M ALI VELSHI.
IT’S DAY 1325 OF THE TRUMP
PRESIDENCY.
LIKE MOST DAYS OF HIS TENURE WE
LEARNED OF TRUMP DENIGRATING
SOMEONE OR SOMETHING.
THIS WEEK IT WAS A RERUN OF
SORTS RATHER THAN A BRAND-NEW
EPISODE WHEN NEWS CROSSED ON
THURSDAY THAT DONALD TRUMP HAS
ONCE AGAIN DISPARAGED FALLEN
MEMBERS OF THE UNITED STATES
MILITARY, MY FIRST RESPONSE AS
IT IS WITH SO MUCH NEWS OF
THINGS TRUMP ALLEGEDLY SAID IT
THAT IT DIDN’T SURPRISE ME.
TRUMP AND HIS PEOPLE HAVE DENIED
THE ATLANTIC’S REPORTING THAT IN
CANCELING A TRIP TO A FRENCH
CEMETERY HOLDING FALLEN AMERICAN
TROOPS IN 2018 TRUMP REPORTEDLY
SAID WHY SHOULD I GO TO THAT
CEMETERY?
IT’S FILLED WITH LOSERS?
IN A SEPARATE CONVERSATION ON
THE SAME TRIP, TRUMP REPORTEDLY
REFERRED TO THE MORE THAN 1,800
MARINES WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN
1918 AS SUCKERS.
TRUMP IS NOT ANYONE’S EXAMPLE OF
A HISTORY BUT BUT HE SEEMED
CONFUSED AS TO WHY THE UNITED
STATES WOULD HAVE INTERVENED ON
THE SIDES OF THE ALLEYS IN WORLD
WAR I ASKING "WHO WERE THE GOOD
GUYS IN THIS WAR?"
THE WHITE HOUSE CALLED THE
CLAIMS LIES, FAKE NEWS.
BUT EVEN IF YOU DISCOUNT THE
NUMEROUS CONFIRMATIONS OF THE
INCIDENT THAT HAVE COME TO LIGHT
SINCE, YOU CAN’T IGNORE THE
BASIC FACTS.
IN 2015, TRUMP SAID SENATOR JOHN
McCAIN, WHO WAS TORTURED BY THE
NORTH VIETNAMESE AND SPENT FIVE
YEARS AS A PRISONER OF WAR WAS
NOT A HERO.
"I LIKE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT
CAPTURED" HE SAID, WHICH I
SUPPOSE IS AN EASY THING FOR
PRESIDENT TRUMP OR ME TO SAY
BECAUSE WE NEVER SERVED IN THE
MILITARY.
TRUMP WAS DEFERRED FROM
ENLISTING TO FIGHT IN THE
VIETNAM WAR BECAUSE HE ALLEGEDLY
HAD BONE SPURS, HIS ONLY
REFERENCE IN THAT WAR IS TRYING
TO AVOID A SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED
DISEASE AS HIS OWN PERSONAL
VIETNAM.
OF COURSE HE WOULD HAVE NO
EMPATHY FOR JOHN McCAIN OR FOR
PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W. BUSH, WHOM
TRUMP ALSO REPORTED CALLED A
LOSER.
NOR FOR ARMY CAPTAIN HUMAYUN
KHAN WHO WAS KILLED ON JUNE 8,
2004 IN A SUICIDE ATTACK IN
IRAN.
ONE OF HIS HEROES WAS JOHN
McCAIN.
YOU WOULD LIKELY NEVER HAVE
HEARD OF HUM KHAN EXCEPT HIS
PARENTS DELIVERED A SPEECH AT
THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL
CONVENTION IN 2016 INVOKING HIS
MEMORY AND CHALLENGING THE
PROMISE THAT THEN CANDIDATE
DONALD TRUMP MADE ABOUT A MUSLIM
BAN.
THAT, YOU WILL RECALL, PROMPTED
A VICIOUS BIGOTED AND SEXIST
ATTACK ON THE KHAN FAMILY BY
TRUMP.
WE OFTEN SAY OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE
NOT SERVED IN THE MILITARY THAT
THEY HAVEN’T WORN THE UNIFORM.
THAT’S NOT EXACTLY TRUE OF
TRUMP.
HE WASN’T WORN THE UNIFORM OF
ANY ACTUAL MILITARY BUT HE DID
ATTEND A MILITARY ACADEMY FOR
HIGH SKOOLCHOOL AND HE SEEMED TO
TALK AFFECTIONATELY OF GENERALS.
AS PRESIDENT HE KEPT THEM CLOSE.
HE LIKES THE TOUGH GUY IMAGE.
INTERVENEING AGAINST THE WISHES
OF MILITARY LEADERSHIP AND ON
THE SIDE OF A DISGRACED NAVY
SEAL, EDWIN GALLAGHER WHO WAS
ACCUSED OF STABBING A TEENAGE
ISIS CAPTIVE TO DEATH.
ACCORDING TO A NEW BOOK, TRUMP
WANTED HIS INAUGURATION TO LOOK
SIMILAR TO A NORTH KOREAN
MILITARY PARADE.
HE LIKES THE TRAPPINGS OF THE
MILITARY.
HE WANTS THE COMMAND, HE ENJOYS
THE PAGEANTRY, BUT HE WANTS
NOTHING AND UNDERSTANDS NOTHING
OF THE SACRIFICE.
THAT’S FINE, BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE
WOULDN’T SACRIFICE THEIR LIVES
FOR THEIR COUNTRY, BUT MOST OF
US DO UNDERSTAND THAT SOMEONE
ELSE WILL.
BECAUSE OF THAT WE ARE SAFE.
IT’S ONE THING TO DISAGREE WITH
AMERICAN MILITARY POLICY OR ITS
AIMS OR HOW MUCH WE SPEND ON IT.
BUT TO QUESTION THE FAITH AND
THE COMMITMENT OF YOUNG WOMEN
AND MEN WHO ACTUALLY RISK THEIR
LIVES IS NOT THE WORK OF THE
PERSON WHO IS NAMED IN ARTICLE 2
SECTION 2 CLAUSE 1 OF THE
